A Kitsune's Love
by DevilWench
Summary: Inu-Yasha's granddaughter must go on a quest to hell with Yusuke and the others to save her father. [Complete]
1. Kidnapped!

Hello everyone. This is the all Powerful (Well, mostly.) DevilWench with another wonderful story, I hope. This is an Inu-Yasha/ Yu-Yu Hakusho fic. It stars Inu-Yasha's granddaughter, Alexandra, who is the daughter of Shippo. The family tree is as follows:  
  
Inu-Yasha + Kagome  
= Inu-Tasha + Shippo  
=Alexandra (or Alex as I call her)  
  
Disclaimer: Me no own Inu-Yasha  
Me no own Yu-Yu Hakusho  
Me do own Alexandra so HA!  
  
ENJOY  
  
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The trees smelled so fragrant this morning. There was no hint of any humans near by. I was glad of that. They tended to smell bad. Especially the males. I flexed my claws in annoyance. The last guy who saw me saw me in my human form first, then when I turned Demon, he freaked and ran away. I was one of the most mixed in the heritage Demos ever. One quarter Dog Demon; one quarter Miko; and half Kitsune. So, needless to say, I looked exactly like grandpa Inu-Yasha with my papa's coloring. But I also had grandma Kagome's Miko powers. I kept my long garnet hair, which complemented my priestess robes, pulled back into a tight braid. My eyes, a clear bright emerald almost always sparkled with laughter, Except when I had to deal with obstinate males. Thank Kami (A/N: I think I spelled it right.if I didn't, let me know! Thanks!) very few people even knew about my shrine, let alone traveled to it. My demonic heritage was well known, and people were still afraid.  
  
It was a beautiful sunset, I could not deny that, but I still dreaded the oncoming night. This was my night to be pure human. And just like grandpa Inu-Yasha, I despised it. But unlike grandpa, I could tolerate being human, for one night. I paused just inside the doors of the shrine to see the last rays of the setting sun dazzle the sky in warm jewel tones. All too quickly, these colors were replaced by deep purples and midnight blues. I could feel myself changing into my human form. My nails shrunk, I could hear from the sides of my face instead of the top, and all my senses dulled. Then I closed the door with a sigh. "I hate Full Moons" I muttered under my breath.  
  
I sat in front of the fire for a long time, thinking back on the stories that mom had told me. The stories about the shikon jewel, and grandma's adventures with Grandpa. The Jewel, as mom told me, had disappeared when she was still a child. She told me that its time in this world was over, it could not feel on evil energy any longer. So, poof! There it went! All gone! Bye-bye!  
  
I sat up, weary to the bone from sitting still for so long. I walked as softly as possible to a back room of the shrine. There was a bed back there, along with pictures of Grandma with Grandpa, Mom with Dad, the four of them together, then me, with Mom and Dad. There were no pictures of me with Grandma. She died a long time before I was born, but Mom and Grandpa told me so many stories about her, that I felt that I knew her well. Mom was dead too, being half human and all, but she lived 500 years, so it wasn't like she lived as a mortal. I still miss her, it had only been 3 years. Grandpa died about 10 years ago. He was old and he said that he wanted to be with his Kagome once again. So, all I have left is Dad, and he's still in mourning for Mom. Every so often I go visit him. Some times he's sober, and sometimes, he's not. But most of the time, he just sits there and cries. I guess that for a full Demon, that loosing ones mate is devastating, and to the immortals, three years to them might seem like three days to us. I helped as much as possible, but I got fed up with that very quickly. I had lost someone too, and I had inherited a little of grandpa's impatience.  
  
I lay down gratefully on my bed, and fell into a blissful sleep, which was broken all too soon. I awoke just before dawn to a loud crash that was painful to even my human ears. I threw off my covers and rushed out the nearest door, grabbing my bow and arrows as I went, grateful that Mom taught me how to shoot. I was livid as to what I saw. There were three, no two humans, and three Demons in front of my shrine. The two humans and two of the Demons were circling the other Demon. The one in the center looked crazed. I hid behind one of the walls of my shrine, wanting to see what exactly was going on. The dark -haired human was the first to speak. "Hey! You ugly old creep! Why don't you just give up?" he was shouting. "Or should I pound you into the ground?" I blinked and suddenly all four were flying backwards. The demon was laughing hysterically.  
  
"Men." I muttered under my breath. They never just do what they come to do. 'Ah, well, I guess I should help out' I thought as I stepped out from the side of the wall. I raised my bow and took aim before announcing my presence. "What is your business here?" I asked in a demanding tone. Five pairs of eyes turned in my direction. Three were dark, one was as green as my own, and the other bright crimson. That pair belonged to the evil demon, the one that wasn't sitting on his ass. The demon screeched, and for once, I was grateful for being human at that particular moment, but it was still painful on my ears, and as I was wincing from the sound, it attacked me. I let my arrow loose, and it buried itself in the demon's neck, and caused it to disintegrate into a pile of ash.  
  
"Hey! What'd you do that for?" and angry gravely voice shouted. I turned at looked coolly down at the red haired human. He shut up quickly. The sky began to lighten and my demon powers would return soon. "Leave!" I told them all. "Now!" I turned and walked inside my shrine, closing the door behind me. I could feel my fangs and claws growing out once again, and my ears reappeared atop my head. I ran to the mirror in my room. There I was, in the mirror, just as I had been the day before. I sighed contentedly. I was myself again.  
  
"Hey! Lady!" I heard the voice of the dark-haired one again. "Where'd you go!" He sounded angry. I left my room and walked calmly into the main room of the shrine. "Hey! Look! Another demon to pummel!" the red haired human yelled to his comrades. I glared at him once again before settling down in front of the shrine fire.  
  
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I saw the human in the priestess garb walk stiffly into the shrine and slam the door behind her. I felt the sun on my back as we, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei, and myself entered the building. I also felt a rise in demonic energy coming from the back room. Hiei nodded as I looked over at him. Kuwabara and Yusuke had already started opening doors searching for the priestess that we had been sent to retrieve. "Hey! Lady! Where'd you go!" I heard Yusuke shout. I shook my head. He was as brash as ever. Seconds later, I heard another door slide open and then closed.  
  
There was the priestess, but she did not look like the woman I saw earlier. She looked like a Kitsune, one of my people, but with different ears, and a little human blood, like myself at the moment. Just then Kuwabara ran back into the room. "Hey! Look! Another demon to pummel!" he cried out. One of her gorgeous ears twitched in what I suspected was annoyance as she glared at him. She turned to face the shrine fire and sat gracefully before it. Yusuke joined us at that moment. As he was getting ready to grab the back of her shirt, she spun around, grabbing his wrist and twisted it behind him. "Go away!" I heard her murmur in that velvety voice. She released his wrist at pushed him away from her towards the door before returning to staring into the fire. Why you.." Yusuke yelled. "Who do you think you are?" "Yusuke, let me handle this" I told him quietly. He looked at me seriously. "Alright Kurama" he said and backed off.  
  
I approached the priestess slowly. I did not want to anger her by surprising her. Carefully, I lay one of my hands on her shoulder. She turned around. "May I help you?" she asked politely. "Yes, I have a question that I hope you may be able to answer." I told her. She smiled up at me slightly and I felt my heart beat slightly faster. She stood, the top of her head coming to just short of the top of my own head. "I will answer any question that I may truthfully answer in good conscience."  
  
I stared into her lovely green eyes as they sparkled in mirth. "Are you Alexandra, the daughter of Shippo?" I asked bluntly. Her wonderful eyes darkened slightly. Slowly she answered. "Yes.I am Alexandra. Why do you want to know." I felt really bad to tell her this and I tried to find away to break the news to her gently, but I could only tell her bluntly. "You're father has been kidnapped by a Greater Demon of the underworld." The light in her eyes died as she stiffly turned away from me and walked into the back room. I felt like I had told my mother something horrible. I felt awful. I followed to see if there was anything that I could do for her. I opened a door and looked in. There was a naked priestess, in perfect proportions standing right in front of me. She screamed "Pervert!" and slapped my face. Yusuke and the others laughed at my misfortune, as the door slammed shut in my stinging face.  
  
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'Dad? Kidnapped?' I thought woefully. 'That can't be! Oh, wait it can be.he's still bemoaning Mom's death. He wouldn't care what happens to him right now. Oh, well, I guess I'll have to go find him and try to snap him outta his depression.' I looked around my room for my traveling bag. I spotted it in the corner and began to fill it with a few things that I would need for later, like more arrows and Ramen. (A/N: Guess who she got that liking from!) A few medical supplies and that was it. 'Now for these clothes! I can't be haring off to the underworld in a priestess outfit, I would be a living target for evil!' I dis-robed and was preparing to put on my street clothes when the door opened.  
  
Kurama, the Kitsune, or who I suspected was a Kitsune stood there in the doorway. I had no clothes on. I screamed "Pervert," slapped him in the face and slammed the door on him. I could hear his friends laughing at him. I could feel a blush creep up my face. 'Kami! He was gorgeous! But why did he have to walk in on me when I was naked!' My face was, by then, redder than my hair. I quickly put on my street clothes, acutely aware that they were revealing. I was wearing a black halter top that made my eyes and hair stand out, Black hot pants, (A/N: Think Sailor Stars) with a black belt adorned with a small cluster of silver stars arranged in a circle. Lastly, my black leather boots that laced up to my knees. I grabbed my bag, opened my window and jumped out, only to land on Kurama himself.  
  
"Whoops" I exclaimed while I got off of him. He stood up and brushed the dirt off his backside, which, I must say is a fine looking backside! "I'm sorry Kurama" I whispered. He looked at me with those gorgeous eyes of his and nodded. "Actually, I should apologize for the slap as well." I whispered. "No need. It was my error for entering with out your permission. I am sorry." I looked at him in astonishment. Here was a guy! He apologized! Then he spoke in his shiver sending soft voice, "Where are you going?"  
  
OK all, that's it for the time being! Hope you like it. I may review. If people actually like this. Read and review. Don't just read and leave. REVIEW! Hopefully, I'll be able to update in a few days! Enjoy! 


	2. Sneak

Me again! Once again we join our travelers as they.wait that's Pokemon.not in this fic! Ok, I got a few reviews, and that's more than my other stories combined! (Ones on fictionpress) I'm so happy you all like this! ::Cries of sheer joy:: Thank You!!!!!!! You made my day!  
  
Disclaimer: I feel like a yo-yo.. Disclaimer.story.disclaimer.story etc. So here is what you all want to see: I DON'T OWN INU-YASHA.::Gets prodded with cattle prod:: OUCH! Okay okay.I DON'T OWN YU-YU HAKUSHO EITHER! Are you happy? But one day I will try to be the proud owner, but it may take a few lifetimes to do so. I wonder if I get a discount if I just want Kurama? Hmmm. ok ok.here's chapt 2  
  
By the way.sorry it took so long to update.my computer was being stupid and wouldn't let me update for a few days..Gomen If I can squeeze it out of my brain, I will update again in a few hours. Buh-Bye! Oh, and disregard the statement at the bottom..that was when I wrote this, not when I posted!  
  
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'Ah.crap' I thought. My sneaking out the window, while effective in my youth, obviously didn't work with these.these.. MEN! I was leaning against one of the outer walls of my shrine. Yusuke, the black-haired one, was yelling at me. Something about 'Why did I try to sneak out?' and such. Two of the others stood there silent. The Kitsune was nowhere that I could see. I stood there impassively, my ears pressed tightly to the top of my head. This was my land, and my life. I walked out into the nearby woods, ignoring the furious shouts from the two humans. The demon, Hiei, said nothing. "Leave her alone" he told the humans. "Kurama will handle her."  
  
I walked silently in the woods for a few minutes before realizing two things. One, I didn't know the way to the underworld, and two, I was being followed. I turned and came kissably close to Kurama. His vivid hair hung like a halo around his face, emphasizing his emerald eyes. "I'll ask you again. Where are you going?" I looked at him, unsure weather to be amused or angry. I chose amused and smiled slightly. "I'm going to find my Dad, what else would I be doing?"  
  
I think I shocked him, because he looked surprised for half a second. "Do you even know how to get to the Underworld?" he asked calmly. I looked sheepishly at him. "Not really." I answered. He smiled at me. 'Gods! He is HOT!' I thought, not for the first time. "Then I guess we will have to show you the way." He turned around and almost glided back to the shrine. 'We? Damn, that means that I have to travel with the dimwit human. And to top it off, he smells bad' I wrinkled my noes in remembered disgust.  
  
"Hello there!" a sprightly voice cut through my thoughts. A young woman with pale blue hair and wearing a pink kimono hovered on an oar. 'HOVERED? WHAT THE HELL!' I shook my head. This must be Boton. I heard about her from mom. She is the grim reaper, though she looks way too sunny to ever be called grim. 'She should change her name to 'Sunny Reaper'' I thought wearily. I was excruciatingly tired. I stayed up for most of the night, being human, then got into a fight, walked halfway into the woods and back. "Whatever" I muttered while allowing myself to be led back to the clearing outside my shrine. Yusuke looked pissed, the other human, I will not dignify him with a name, looked stupid. (A/N: If you haven't guessed by now, I don't like Kuwabara (I don't care if I didn't spell his name right!)) Hiei looked impassive as he stared out into the forest, and Kurama was smiling slightly at me. I returned to my customary lean against the wall.  
  
"Now that I have your attention," Boton crowed happily, "Here's the mission! Rescue as many prisoners as you can from the Underworld Lord as you can. We don't know who he is yet, but we know he's very strong! So be careful!" She looked directly at Yusuke as she said the last words. He just scowled. "Now, just how the heck do we get to the Underworld Boton? It's not like we have a map or anything!" Boton looked slightly nervous. "Well," she began. "All you have to do is die!" "WHAT!" everyone screamed. I personally was thinking of a Boton BBQ. The others also looked murderous, except Kurama, he looked impassive. Boton floated a few yards back. "Or you could use the gate that we have in Spirit world" she continued lamely. "Booooooootoooooooonnnnn.." Yusuke said warningly. "Why didn't you say that in the first place?" "Well.um.you see." she was hitting her pointer fingers together nervously. "We don't have the gate right now."  
  
I laughed. I knew where the gate was now that I thought about it. Grandpa's brother Sesshomaru has it. I saw it a few years ago when I snuck into his house a few years ago. Boy! Was Uncle Fluffy mad! The others stared at me. "WHAT!" Yusuke was shouting. "Do you know where the gate is?" he asked challengingly. I smirked. "Of course I do. My uncle has it. I saw it when I snuck into house a couple of years ago." I continued to smirk when the shock registered on their faces.  
  
~* Fast forward to all of them sneaking onto Uncle Fluffy's property *~  
  
(A/N: I may come back and write about their trip to Uncle Fluffy's, but it's not important to the story.sorry don't hurt me!)  
  
I was peering over the wall onto my uncle's land. "Hey! Will you pull yourself up already! You're getting heavy!" I looked down at Yusuke. The shoulders that I stood on to see over the wall belonged to him. I jumped up onto the wall causing him to fall onto the hard pavement below. "Why you little..! Why'd you do that?" He whispered fiercely. I smiled at him mischievously. 'Ah, Dad's personality kicking in.'  
  
I went from being a grouch like grandpa, to being sweet like my grandmother, to being full of mischief like my Dad used to be. I liked being Daddy's little girl sometimes. When it didn't get me in trouble. 'Oh, Well.' I thought. 'Anything to keep me entertained!' I hopped down to the other side. 'Strange,' I mused. "Where are the guards? I should be able to smell them by now. I only smell Uncle Fluffy, and.and. "DAD!" I took off running, ignoring the shouting from behind me. I ran a full quarter mile just to get to the front door, then I had to bash that in and follow my nose. Hiei was following close behind me, being as fast as he is, the others not that far behind, with the exception of the stupid one, he tripped on the grass a while back.  
  
I smelled my Dad's sent coming from one of the stairwells that only descended. I was running down those steps, farther and farther into the ground. At least 100 feet below the ground and still the steps spiraled further down. It grew chilly and damp, but I ran onward. When I finally came to the bottom of the stairs, I found myself in a huge cavern of sorts. I saw the gate to the underworld first. It's center 'gate' section was a swirling sparkling mass of reds oranges, browns with a hint of violet. The whole effect was stomach turning. Next, I saw my Dad. He was chained near the gate. I had never seen him so.haggard. His poofy red hair was all stringy and in disarray, his clothes were tatters and I could see dried blood as well as fresh blood training down his skin. Who ever had kidnapped him probably had done something to Uncle Fluffy because he would never use a power that was not his own. Sure he wanted Grandpa's sword, but that was another matter entirely.  
  
"DAD!" I yelled as I ran over to him. He looked up in shock and then in horror as a green flash caught my eyes and I was hurled into a nearby wall. I heard the most annoying sound that I had only dreamed of never hearing again. Jaken was screaming "Why you little brat! How dare you try and disrupt my masters work!" He aimed his staff of heads at me and I saw a fireball fling itself at me. Thankfully, Jaken is a terrible shot. He hit the stupid human who tripped on the grass earlier. Yusuke, Hiei, Kurama, and everyone else in the room just shrugged and went back to their previous stances, except for me. I stood up.  
  
"Bothersome child!" A cold voice echoed through the cavern. Uncle Fluffy stepped out from behind an outcropping of boulders. He was not in human form, he was showing his humanoid demon form. (A/N: My friend would kill for his tail!) "Uncle Fluffy? What are you doing here?" I asked. Milliseconds later I realized how stupid I was. He owned this place. Some how the others (Yusuke, Hiei, and Kurama) remained silent. Not a single laugh. "Don't you dare call me by that idiotic name you silly little child!" he breathed. "But where you're going, I won't have to worry about hearing that bothersome name again." "Crap" I muttered.  
  
It dawned on me that uncle Fluffy was behind Dads disappearance. "Why did you kidnap my Dad, Uncle Fluffy?" "Desist with that name baka and I will tell you! I did it because.."  
  
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I'm going to be evil right now. It's half past one in the morning and I need to get up in umm.let's see.7 hours. I know this is kinda short, Wait I mean really short, but I got a brain cramp, being its so late. I'll try to squeeze more out of my brain later so for now BYE BYE!!! And REVIEW! I won't know what you would like to read if you don't tell me! I may even listen for once in my life! Signing out...for now.muah ha ha ha..  
  
~DevilWench~ 


	3. Minions of the Underworld

Ok ok.I will continue. I have a stupid computer that sometimes does not let me update very often. I will try and fix this but no promises.  
  
Last time: Alex and the others snuck into her 'Uncle Fluffy's home and found Shippo near an ugly gate thing. Jaken flamed Kuwabara. Need I say more?  
  
Disclaimer: Again?!?! Arrg.why do I put myself through this torture?!? 'Cuz it's fun that's why! I know I'm slightly odd, but bare with me for a moment K? Thanks!  
  
Real Disclaimer: Me no own anything cool. That includes Inu-Yasha and Yu-Yu Hakusho. Well, except for Alex. She's cool. And that's because I created her! Muah ha ha ha ha! Good bye! Wait the story.ok here goes.  
  
And before I start, I wish to thank the following people for reviewing:  
  
Yuri Minamino ( Here's more! I hope you like!  
  
Divine-Heart ( Continued even though my computer doesn't like to let me update!  
  
Crystal-Chan (I hate to sound ignorant, but what does 'Sugoi' mean? Please let me know if you continue to read! Thanks!  
  
erkman3(Hopefully this fic will keep being a good story!  
  
lilhillbillie( I luv yu-yu/inu crossovers too! That's why I wrote one! ^.^!  
  
Foxstar2k2( Thanx for the compliment.I get that a lot from my friends at school!  
  
poetic-halfbreed ( Well, ::Rubs back of head:: I'll try and continue!  
  
chibi playing with fire (I fixed the summery! Thanks for noticing!  
  
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"Why did you kidnap my Dad, Uncle Fluffy?" "Desist with that name baka and I will tell you! I did it because.." He trailed off, staring blankly at a nearby wall.  
  
A deep, hissing like voice penetrated the room. It sent shivers up my spine as it spoke. "Useless Demon" it breathed. "You dare try to give away my plans!?" 'Oh, boy' I thought. 'It sounds angry, whatever 'IT' is'.  
  
"I know longer have any use for you!" It continues to hiss. I saw Uncle Fluffy snap out of his staring at the wall fit, blink furiously, and sink to his knees, like a puppet that had had it's strings cut. Jaken, in it's high pitched wail that made my ears hurt wailed "Master" as it rushed over to my fallen Uncle.  
  
'Now I know this might sound a little strange' I told my brain. 'But there is a tendril of gop reaching out from that putrid colored gate thingie' I blinked. Now there were several tendrils reaching out from the gate. One was reaching for Uncle Fluffy, one for my Dad, another coming my way, and one towards the annoying Jaken. The one that closed in on Jaken merely grabbed him and squeezed him to death. No big loss there.  
  
"Now I will have you all" the snake like voice hissed deeply. One tendril grabbed Uncle Fluffy, and pulled him into the gate. The only sound it made was a 'plop' sound. The next one grabbed Dad. I ran forward and tried to grab him before he too was gone in a 'plop'. (A/N: You are probably wondering why everyone else is just standing there, well, don't worry, everything's is just happening too fast for them to keep up.)  
  
I felt a cold slimy tendril wrap itself around my waist, it was so cold that it burned. I screamed in pain. But even in my pain, I heard someone cry out "Rose Whip". I felt the tendril jerk violently and then release me. I fell to the floor clutching my waist, where the tendril had grabbed me. The next thing I felt was a cool hand on my forehead. I looked up and saw the bright green eyes of Kurama. He was staring worriedly down at me. I smiled wanly at him. He helped me stand while the others were attacking the remaining tendrils.  
  
"YOU WILL NOT STOP ME!" The voice hissed in anger. Hundreds of tendrils shot out of the gate and wrapped them selves around all of us. The voice sounded again "You are all mine, all you powerful creatures!" The gate, with its putrid swirling colors pulled us towards itself with extreme quickness. Then I was pulled into the mess. It was thick and slimy; I couldn't breath. My lungs were on fire from lack of oxygen. Then, when I thought I would suffocate, I was through.  
  
I landed on top of Kurama, again. He was coated with the gate material, as was everyone else, as was I. I had to roll of him to breathe easier. As I flopped onto my back, I stared at the vaulted ceiling. There were arches, and sculptures, columns with ornate designs carved into them. I didn't think anything of them, but in hindsight, I wish I did. But, I was battered, bruised, my waist throbbed, and I was very tired. I fell asleep.  
  
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(Kurama POV time!)  
  
I saw the tendrils pull themselves out of the gate and head for Alex, her Dad, and her 'Uncle Fluffy.' The men were the first to be grabbed and pulled into the gate. I heard Alex scream as another tendril wrapped itself around her delicate wrist. I couldn't do anything. I pulled out my weapon, "Rose Whip!" I lashed out with my whip, snagging the tendril and making it release her, which it did to me great relief. She sagged to the ground, her arm wrapped around her waist.  
  
When I rushed over to her, she was still on her knees, breathing heavily. I knelt down next to her and she gazed up at me and gave me a half-hearted smile. But I still saw her pain through her emerald eyes. Stray wisps of ruby colored hair had become loosed, and now framed her lovely face. The voice hissed out evilly, "YOU WILL NOT STOP ME!" and hundreds of tendrils shot out from the gateway and wrapped us all in the disgusting slime. It hissed something else, but the icy pain was overwhelming, and I think I blacked out.  
  
I awoke next to Alex, her hand was on my shoulder, and her face faced the ceiling. It was an amazing ceiling. The careful craftsmanship was apparent from even down here, The etchings on the columns had elegant flowing drawings at first sight. But as I looked harder, they were still elegant, but they were violent and depicted destruction and chaos. I sat up to peer closer at the drawings. They appeared to be of humans being tortured mercilessly by demons. But these demons were not like those of the Spirit world. These appeared darker, more murderous than anyone I had ever heard of. In one world, evil. These drawings sent a shiver up my spine. (A/N: Ohhhh.Kurama with the chills! Read on!)  
  
I heard a scuttling on the walls, but it was dark. I couldn't discern where the sound was coming from. It sounded like it was coming from all around, yet no where at the same time. I quietly called to the others to wake up. Somehow, groggily, they all woke up with a minimum of swearing from Yusuke. Hiei was the first on his feet, his sword flashing into his hands. Yusuke was on his feet, silently looking around. Kuwabara was no where to be seen (A/N: He's not that powerful so they threw him back out. He is now sitting on his butt back in the cave.)  
  
I saw Alex stand, a determined look on her face as she also searched the shadows for the slight sounds. I stared in shock at her hands. Somehow, she had acquired two long, thin daggers. They were resting loosely but capably, in her strong nimble fingers. We arranged ourselves in a sort of circle, facing outward.  
  
Then, the worst thing that could have happened did happen. Silence. There was no sound other than the sound of our own breathing. It was eerily quiet. I could feel the tension grow. And I was expecting Yusuke to start swearing again at any moment.  
  
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(Alex POV time!)  
  
I grabbed my stilettos from their hiding spaces up my sleeves, and waited. The tension was making my back stiff, and my posture, a half crouch, and irritated my waist where the tendril had grabbed me the first time. I was acutely aware of Kurama standing next to me. The total silence was unnerving.  
  
There was a wisp of a sound to my right, where Yusuke stood. I nudged him slightly and he nodded back at me, understanding that he heard it too. It was a tense few more moments, straining to see in the darkness, but when the attack finally came, we weren't facing the right direction. I was thrown forward. Somehow something had settled in the center of our circle with out any of us knowing. How it did so, I couldn't fathom. 'Maybe it fell from the ceiling' I thought, my mind in turmoil.  
  
I looked around frantically to catch a glimpse of Yusuke, Hiei, or Kurama. I could barely make out a bluish glow. 'Yusuke's Spirit Gun' I remembered belatedly as I was knocked forward again by something that I could not see. Yet. I wasn't a priestess for nothing. If I couldn't handle this evil, then I didn't deserve to be a priestess. I let my power flare out. It didn't make the room visible, but it did make the creatures visible.  
  
Small creatures that were not higher that my waist. That is, if they stood up straight. Beady eyes shined with malice as skin stretched over a skull like face. They had no nose, and their claws appeared to be caked with dirt and dried blood. Thin sparsely hair lay lank across thin shoulders. The emaciated body covered with dark gray patches of sewn on dead flesh. One of them grinned at me, revealing rows of wickedly sharp teeth.  
  
'I am a priestess. I will not fall here!' I thought tersely. Once again I gathered my power, pushing it into my stilettos. They began to glow a faint, but steady white. The creature's eyes widened in surprise and what I thought might have been fear. I lashed out with the stiletto that was in my right hand, severing its head from its disgusting body. It fell into an almost bloodless heap. The other creatures paused from trying to subdue the others. They began to wail. It was irritating, but then they outright pulled a banshee wail. I dropped to my knees, my hands covering my ears. "SHUT UP!" I screamed, my miko powers flooding through the room. The creatures shrieked in pain and vanished, leaving behind small piles of an ashy power. And once again, I passed out.  
  
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This is the second update today! Hope you all liked it. A little less humor than Chapter 2, but.well, there must be something good about it. REVIEW and tell me please! Thanks.  
  
Signing out ~ The almighty (In my mind anyway) DevilWench ~ 


	4. Demon City

Here is the acclaimed Chapter 4! YAY! I made it! No author chit chat as of now. None is needed.  
  
Disclaimer: ALEX IS MINE! Nothing else is and that includes Inu-Yasha(Even thought he doesn't really appear in this fic as of now) ~OR~ Yu-Yu Hakusho ( I would like to own Kurama though.hmmm.maybe one day I can have a plush doll...)  
  
Here's the story!  
  
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My head was all fuzzy. It felt like I had a migraine. "Any one got some Aspirin?" I asked wearily as I open my eyes. Kurama was the first person that I saw. Probably because of his hair, it was brighter than mine! (A/N: The idiot Kuwabara was spit back out of the gate to the underworld and is now sitting on his fat ass staring stupidly at the gate) Hiei was standing guard and Yusuke was leaning over the body of the creature that I had decapitated. It was the only creature that wasn't a pile of dust. 'Odd' I thought. 'How is it that they can see now? There must be more light coming in for them to see'  
  
I sat up wearily, wincing when I heard my back crack. I felt Kurama grab my arm as he helped me stand. I wobbled a little, but quickly regained my balance. Now that I was up, I could finally take a closer look around me. The columns that I saw earlier, I took a closer look at. One of the pictures looked like this room, but on the ceiling there were small creatures. 'Well, I guess they fell from the ceiling. That's why we didn't see them. Must have been when they were making all the noise.' I continued to look over the other engravings carefully. There might be a clue to what else might be in this place. There were carvings of some truly hideous monsters, but they looked to be in a higher pit, not the lower one that we were in. (A/N: The lower the pit the more dangerous the creepy crawlies!) I noticed some more carvings on the same level as the cave that we were in. It was of a rather large ogre/ ape type monster, with huge tusks. Words were writen just below the carving. ' It hides the gateway from those who seek to find..' And the rest was worn away in some parts, and gouged out in others, like a clawed hand had taken a swipe at it.  
  
I heard a slight shuffling sound from the far side of the cave. When I turned, there wasn't anything there. I had a bad feeling about it. What if it was the creature that was in the carvings? 'What is it hiding? Find what? Where is my Dad? Where is Uncle Fluffy? Annn.who cares about Uncle Fluffy.he's the one who got us here in the first place!' (A/N: Don't flame at me please! He'll get a good rep later I promise.plus my friend will kill me if I don't) "Hey, guys?" I asked tentatively. "Did you hear that?" I asked, pointing to the far side of the room. No one nodded. I was the only one who had heard it. Maybe I was jumping at shadows, but as a club came swinging at my head, I thought 'Well, maybe not!'  
  
I dived to the side, narrowly missing being hit by the wicked looking blades on the side of the club. Unfortunately, Yusuke wasn't that fortunate, and he went flying. I saw Kurama dodge out of the way and take out a rose. He shouted "Rose Whip' And I had to blink a few times because suddenly there was a wicked looking whip hanging from his hands. But I didn't pause for long. The club was traveling back my way. I saw that the creature from the carvings was holding onto it. 'If he's here, then he must not be guarding what ever it is that he guards!' I left the fighting to Hiei, Kurama, and Yusuke, who was back on his feet and looking pissed off as he was shouting so many curse words that an innocent person would have blushed. I raced back to where I heard I head the shuffling earlier.  
  
When I got there, there was only a pile of dust, and a few odds and ends. Among them was an odd piece of jewelry. It was pitch-black onyx surrounded by a loopy design in silver metal. I though it was pretty, so I pawned it. (A/N: Don't do that you guys! It's bad manners to take something that's not yours! She's only doing that because...well, because monsters don't really own jewelry!) I tossed some of the other junk out of my way. Finally, I saw what I had hoped to find. A trap door. It was barely visible, but there was a definite crack in the floor shaped like a large square. 'How the hell do I open this?' I asked myself. I sniffed around the edge, aware that my cleavage was showing, but not really caring. 'This doesn't make any sense!' I wailed inwardly! 'I can't smell anything there! Wait! Grandpa said, "If you can't smell it then it ain't there!" ' "There isn't anything there!" I whispered excitedly. But before I could test my theory, I had to dodge to the side as the club swung my way.  
  
"Alex! Move!" I heard Kurama shout from a short distance away. I turned and saw that the creature was covered in its own ichorous blood. It had an insane angered look in its bulbous eyes. It knew what I had been searching for. 'Oh, well, I found what I was looking for so I guess I can help now' I thought almost evilly. I pulled out both of my stilettos and made a fantastic jump to the top of its head. I almost sat on its head while it thrashed about trying to dislodge me. I jabbed downward and blinded it before jumping off it to relative safety. It was thrashing even more now, but since it was blind, Yusuke could shoot it with his 'Spirit Gun' and be done with it. I walked back to the trap door, bent down and sniffed it again to make sure of my earlier guess. 'Yep! I must be right!'  
  
"What are you doing?!?" Hiei asked slightly surprised. I glared at him while noting the creature lying dead behind him. "I am finding a way out of this blasted cave before something else nasty decides to pay us a visit!" I snapped back. Kurama, standing near Hiei, stifled a giggle. "Well?" Yusuke asked. "There isn't anything here" I told him. "This part of the floor doesn't exist." I explained when I saw the confused look on his face. To demonstrate, I placed my hand on top the non-existent floor, then pushed down. There was a slight resistance, but my hand pushed right through it, and of course the rest of me was sucked right on in with my hand. "Whoops!" I cried as I was pulled in.  
  
This time I did not black out as I hit the ground. "I guess this is what that thing was hiding" I muttered to myself as I stood and dusted my self off. My clothes were getting really dusty. I started to admire the room that I was in. It looked like a hotel room with a bed, a sink, bathroom, ect. I saw a reddish glow coming from the window so I walked over and looked out. There was a lake of molten lava and fire geysers flaring up every so often. Demons of every type strolled around on the ground. In the distance I saw some human skeletons and frames that held skin that looked like it had belonged to a human at one point. I heard a knock on my door. I gulped harshly. 'I am surrounded by demons. Me, a priestess, surrounded by demons.' I would have panicked, but I was mostly demon so I should fit right in. I causally opened the door and a girl demon entered hastily. "You can't stay in here forever!" she said in a child like voice. "Get out and enjoy the sights!" The she gave em a gentle push towards the door. Some panic must have shown on my face because the next thing she said was "Don't worry! You're more than half demon so no one will bother you, well, not bother you very much anyway. They are demons of course!" "Of course I muttered. " I hope you'll like your stay in Demon City!" she called after my retreating back. 'Where are the others?' I thought as I rounded the corner and ran straight into Hiei. Then it clicked. I was more than half demon, Hiei was all demon, so he was here. What happens to half demons like Kurama? Or full humans like Yusuke?' Hiei turned away. "Come on. We need to find Yusuke and Kurama." Since I didn't know where to go, I followed.  
  
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Gomen for the short chapter.that's all I seem to be able to squeeze out of my brain right now! Gomen Gomen Gomen! But if I have all short chapts, than I will have more chapts! I think that is good. Well, it's 1am and I gotts to get up early and torture people tomorrow. So I will see you all in the next chapter! Buh-Bye to all!  
  
Signing out  
  
~DevilWench~ 


	5. WAKE UP CALL

Well, here's Chapter 5 dedicated to all who read it. Thanks for Reading. PLEASE REVIEW! I won't know you read it if you don't REVIEW!!!!! Don't make me start flaming! ::Eyes take on a warmed tinge:: I hope you like reading this as much as I liked writing it.it took me a few days cuz my computer froze halfway before I could save it and I had to wait an entire day for it to recover, then I was out of ideas when it did recover! Ack. Oh well, enough of my problems, I'm sure you have ones of your own. By the way, for all you who are wondering where the Inu-Yasha people are.don't worry.they are coming back! Read on.you have permission.  
  
OOPS's.. Almost forgot the Disclaimer.hee.I wouldn't forget a thing like that.::Halo pops over her head:: I don't own Inu-Yasha or any of the related characters. I wish I owned Kurama, but sadly I don't. I don't own ANY one from Yu Yu Hakusho either. ::Weeps:: Are you happy? You made me cry!  
  
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I had to admit, even though it was a demon city, it did have a sort of charm. The lava cast a soft glow over everything. I might have enjoyed it more, had I not been for Hiei and his extremely fast pace. It did sort of surprise me that a demon like him kept company with 2 people that weren't even full demons. It was slightly curious, but stranger things have happened. like me for one.. Human blood mixed with Dog and Kitsune demon blood. 'Heh' I thought to myself. I was strange.  
  
Hiei was rounding a corner and so far, he hadn't said a single word. We had made so many turns that I was definitely lost. But, if we fond Yusuke and Kurama and got out of here, then it wouldn't matter! I was wondering whether he even knew where he was going or if he was lost too! And since I was sometimes a brash person, I went ahead and asked. "Hey! Hiei! Are we lost or something?" I yelled up at him. He paused abruptly and I almost ran into him. "No, this way!" he said in a monotone voice.  
  
This was beginning to get on my nerves. We had been running for about two hours straight, and still we were nowhere close to the edge of the city. "Hiei! Where the fuck are we going?" Yep I was definitely my grandfather's granddaughter. I stopped running, crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. "We aren't any closer to the edge of Demon City than when we started! If anything we're farther away!" I was shouting at him and causing the near by demons to stare. They started to edge away, nervous.  
  
Hiei just stared at me blankly. He blinked. I blinked. We had a blinking contest. (A/N: Ha! Just trying to imagine that is too much! Too Funny!) That lasted a whole of 5 minutes. I can't stand standing still for too long. So I did what Grandpa would have done in this situation. I grabbed him by his tunic collar and lifted him till he was eye level with me. "Where are you taking us?" I asked in a m ore menacing tone of voice" I was getting very angry. He blinked and I had had it with his silence. I tossed him back onto his ass. Then gasped as he turned into some type of slime or sludge and melted away.  
  
I stood in shock as the last remnants that had been Hiei flowed away like water. I heard a screech above me and when I looked up, the top of the cavern was growing dim, like a sunset. 'Crap, if it gets dark, then I might not be able to get out of here alive!' I thought panicked. 'Well' I thought, calming myself down, 'If I can run, maybe I can get out of this city before it become pitch black!' I took of running. 'The fastest way out of a city, is to go straight, or left, right, left right, and so forth.  
  
The light was growing dimmer and dimmer as I ran. I was bypassing demons right and left as they were slamming their doors. 'Preparing for the coming Night' I thought in contempt. They were demons, they were the ones who waltzed around in the dark, and they didn't hide from it. Ignoring the strange behavior, I continued to run. I kept on running until there was no light to see to run. They I hid in a corner.  
  
"WAKE UP!" I heard. I woke up and looked around. There was no one around. 'Must have been a dream' I thought sleepily as I stood and stretched. 'Out' my mind told me. I began to run again. I didn't really see where I was running, or where I was running. I certainly wasn't running out of the city like I had planned yesterday, but somehow, I didn't care.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ^.^8 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ (Kurama POV time! Yes Again!)  
  
I heard her yelp as I saw her being sucked into the now putty looking spot in the floor. We all started to reach for her, but as quick as she had yelped, was as quick as she was gone. 'She's gone.' I heard Yusuke start yelling something like "What the Hell" and "This sucks" Hiei just looked as stoic as always. "Well?" Hiei asked Yusuke. I didn't hear what Yusuke answered because I stood and jumped in after Alex.  
  
I saw her, crumpled and asleep on the floor. She looked like she was at peace with her slight smile on her face. Hiei and Yusuke jumped down a few seconds later and landed behind me. They both looked at her. This time it was Yusuke that asked "Well?" No one answered. Standing like that for a few more seconds, we thought some more. (A/N: They tried shaking her awake already so don't ask!) Hiei was the first to come up with anything. He suggested using his Jargon Eye (A/N: I hope I spelled it right! If not go ahead and flame. but just at me please!) to reach into her mind and wake her up that way. I didn't like it, but I did see that it might actually work. So, Hiei sat on one side of her, Yusuke and I on the other.  
  
Hiei sat like that for a few hours, not moving. Then his eyes flared open and he started muttering curses against all female Kitsunes. "The damn fool woman didn't want to escape!" He was standing and glaring down at her. Yusuke and I were confused. "Escape?" Yusuke asked. "She's trapped inside a maze of her own mind! And she kicked me out!" Now I was surprised. SHE kicked HIEI out of her mind! I didn't know that was possible for anyone other than someone with a Jargon Eye to do that. I looked back at Alex with respect.  
  
Now we were in a bind. We had to go on, but we couldn't leave her here in the open for the demons to come and kill her. Yusuke got so frustrated that he shook her and yelled at her to wake up. It almost worked. She stirred slightly, but fell back into the coma like sleep. We had to do something to bring her back, now. I continued to think. If sound and movement shook her slightly awake, then what would sound, movement and pain do? It was worth a try. If she was injured, but awake enough to be angry, it would be enough, if not, then, well, I'd cross that bridge when I got there.  
  
It took a few minutes to explain my plan to Yusuke and Hiei, but they both solemnly agreed to it saying that they would blame it all on me when she woke up. Carefully, I removed one of her stilettos from her wrist sheath. It was a far better tool for what I was about to do, than any other weapon that we had. It wouldn't cause as much damage, but it probably would hurt like hell.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ^.^8 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* (Alex POV Time! YAY!) (A/N: I have way too much free time)  
  
I was till running when I felt the pain. It dragged its way up my arm, leaving a bloody trail in its wake. But I couldn't stop running. 'Why am I running? Who am I running from?' I asked myself. Pain flared in my other arm as a similar line of blood marked its presence on my body. "What the HELL is happening to me?" I screamed in pain. And I was still running. I couldn't stop running. This time the blood started to flow down one of my legs, I slowed my running, but I couldn't stop, not with one good leg. The world began to fuzz slightly. It was like looking through a sheet of water. Once again, pain lanced through my body, this time it started form my good leg. The cuts were placed along my muscles so that I couldn't run anymore. I fell to the ground. I tried to crawl, but my vision was swimming and going blank. I stopped moving.  
  
My vision started to clear almost immediently. I was staring at the faces of Hiei, Yusuke, and Kurama, who appeared shortly after I could see again. Beyond them was another cavern ceiling. 'It must have been a dream. But why do I still feel the pain?' I glanced over at my arm. There were tiny rivulets streaming across my arm. I glanced at my legs, and at my other arm. They too were bloody. And by my arm rested one of my stilettos, covered in blood, my blood. I stared accusingly back at the three as I sat up. It hurt to move my arms and my legs, but, thankfully in my heritage, there was an incredible healing rate. The cuts on my arms and legs were long, but very shallow.  
  
Kurama was the first to speak. "I'm sorry," he said. I just looked at him. 'So he did this to me! Well, he must have had a reason to do it' I argued with my self. I was still arguing when Yusuke spoke up. "You wouldn't wake up, so we thought of some ways to wake people up, and this was the last way any of us could think to wake you up" He grinned and burst out laughing. "You know, you look really funny glowering like that! Keep it up and it may stay that way!" I glared at him for a little while longer before turning to Kurama. "You must have had a good reason to do that, so I will forgive you. This Time!" I added. I looked back down at my arms, they were almost all healed, as were my legs. So I stood up and looked around for my backpack. "I'm Hungry!" I announced while pawing through the stuff I brought, looking for some ramen.  
  
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In closing, I would like to say: THANK YOU!!!!!  
  
REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! THANK YOU!  
  
Signing Out ~DevilWench~ 


	6. Spiders Lair

Me again with the ever wonderful Chapter 6! Sometimes I wonder if there is a point in writing this, but then I get a review saying that someone, somewhere, likes what I write, so I continue. Even if it's only one person, I'll continue when I possibly can. Thank you to all reviewers! And thanks to those of you who read this and did not review.  
  
Disclaimer: I am boring, I have no life, there for it would be impossible for me to own Inu-Yasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. In my dreams I might, in the future, I may very well own them, but not today sadly! I can only wish that I did.  
  
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"Now what?" I asked the others. I was ready to continue now that I had eaten. All three of them stared at me like I was asking something I shouldn't be. I looked at them quizzically. "What? Do I have something on my face or something?" Yusuke was the first to respond. "But. but. you were just covered in your own blood not a half hour ago!" He yelled angrily. I shrugged. "I heal really fast. Now can we go? I would like to find my Dad if it's not to much trouble." I heard Hiei mumble something about 'females always being trouble' but I ignored him.  
  
When it looked like they wouldn't be going for a while, I got up off the floor and started to explore the cavern. T tried to pay attention to what was on them, but my mind kept coming back to the dream, or whatever the hell it was. 'Why didn't I wake up? How could I tell that it was a dream? How do I stop it from happening again? Well, I guess I just will have to find Dad and get out of here really quick. Or just not sleep at all.' I grinned half way at myself. 'That's gonna take a lot of work.'  
  
I peered more intently at the carvings scattered across the walls. They were like the first cavern, except that they just had groups of people in different places. The only thing that was the same in all of them was that one of the people lay horizontal. Some had the other figures help the sleeping one out of the cave, and the others just depicted the ones that were standing leaving their comrade where they lay. But these had a slight difference from the one where the figure awoke. While they appeared to be able to leave the cave, the others, the ones who didn't help at all, became trapped inside the cave figure. The next carving showed the figures that hadn't helped, fall down as well.  
  
'Hmm. so one will fall into that dream thing, and if the companions wake that person up, they can leave, if they don't try to help at all, they become trapped in the dream. Hmmm. Makes sense. I guess I'm lucky that at least one of them cares enough about me to not leave me behind. It probably saved them.' I smiled again, this time in happiness. 'Someone cares about me.'  
  
'Ok. There should be a way out of here if what the carvings say are true.' (A/N: I'm making all the wall carvings hints to escape! Deal!) I spent the next hour searching for the way out of this blasted place. "What are you doing?" a soft yet deep voice asked. I looked at Kurama. "I'm trying to find a way out of here. It gives me the creeps!" I told him. 'Plus I'm keeping my mind off of that dream. it was way too real!' I shuddered in remembrance. Kurama must have noticed my shudder because he wrapped warm arms around me. "Are you sure you're ok? Those injuries looked like more than mere surface wounds. I should know" he added softly. It seemed like he was having trouble with what he was trying to say next. So I made a wild guess that he was the one who used my stiletto on me. And me being as blunt as I sometimes am, I voiced the question, but softly do he knew that I wasn't mad anymore. "You were the one who used the stiletto on me weren't you?" "Yes" he answered softly after a minute. "I'm sorry" he continued. I turned my head so that I could look him in the eyes. "Don't be sorry!" I told him, my voice stern this time. "I should be thanking you for that! I don't like the feeling of not being in control of my own dreams like I was in that one. It was horrid." I added softly while turning back around to face the wall. He tightened his grip around me, and somehow I felt content just standing there, being held. The he let go and started to walk beck to Yusuke and Hiei. He whispered "You're welcome" back to me before joining them. I smiled at him, but I felt cold, not just physically, but in my heart. I felt lonely.  
  
It took me another hour to find the exit, and I only found it because of the pattern of the few columns that looked like they were scattered all about. Five of them were in an almost perfect line. There was only one column out of place. That one drew my attention to it. There was absolutely nothing on it. No carving, no nicks, no dents, nothing. So I studied it for a few minutes and decided to do things Grandpa's way. I smashed my fist into it and the entire thing crumbled into dust. I heard Yusuke jump of and start cursing. I looked over at them and noticed that all three were on their feet looking at me in surprise. I grinned, 'I startled them all! What Fun!' As the dust settled, I looked at the hole that I had uncovered from smashing the column. I waved my hand in front of me to try and clear some of the dust faster, but it only swirled faster. So, I walked a few steps back and sat down to wait for the dust to settle.  
  
'This time, I'm not going to just jump into that hole! I don't think I could stand a repeat of last time!' And again I shuddered. I didn't really want to go further into the underworld, but I had to rescue Dad, after all, he always helped me out of all the scrapes I got into, and he never told mom about when I snuck into Uncle Fluffy's house a few years ago! I owed him, and besides, he's family, Uncle Fluffy too! I could not back out now. I was not a coward.  
  
When the dust settled, the four of us stood around the edge of the hole I had made earlier. Hiei, with the attitude that he has blurted out "Not going to jump in recklessly this time?" I glared at him. "I learned my lesson last time half pint!" (A/N: Ooh.low blow! That's my girl!) He just glared back at me. "Alright you two" Yusuke said, almost laughing, "Quit it now! We need to figure out if we should jump, or stay here and eventually starve. All in favor raise your hand." He raised his own hand. No one else did. "Alright, now who's for staying?" And again, no one raised their hand. "By democratic vote, we jump into the dark hole to no one knows where!" He jumped into the gaping hole followed quickly by Hiei. Kurama looked at me. "Well, let go. Someone has to watch them so they don't mess up too much." I grinned at him. Even though I didn't really want to jump, I did anyway. I didn't want to be left alone anyway. Guys just don't have any sense. 'Like I do anyway' I told myself as I jumped after them all.  
  
I landed on my feet, and peered intently around me. I was shocked to see my surroundings. It looked almost like Demon City. There was molten lava in large pools scattered across the vast expanse of this cavern. It was HUGE! At least 50 miles one way and we were stuck on a mountain in the middle. About 3 miles away was a city. I shuddered to think how similar it was to Demon City. "Umm. Hey guys?" I asked. They turned their heads to look at me. "Are we sure that I'm still not dreaming? This looks awfully like the scenery in that blasted Dream!" Kurama and Yusuke looked at each other blankly. Hiei simply stated "Yes. You are awake." I sighed in relief. Hiei started walking down to the city followed closely by Yusuke. Kurama walked up to my side. "This is what you saw while you were asleep?" he asked slightly horrified. I nodded slowly. "Almost exactly. Except that this is way bigger." I stood almost paralyzed to the spot. Kurama gently tugged on my arm to get me to follow him down. I took one last look at the city that lay before me and sighed as I followed behind Kurama.  
  
We entered the city in about an hour. There were no demons in sight. In fact, there was no one in sight. It looked deserted. There were cobwebs hanging every where. It was eerily quiet. The only sound that I heard with my sensitive hearing was our breath. There was not even the moaning sigh of the wind. It was almost like a ghost town. 'This is the Underworld. Maybe this IS a ghost town!' Shaking my head at the very notion, I followed Yusuke, Hiei and Kurama down another alleyway. Nothing but more cobwebs.  
  
It took us some time, but we managed to get to the center of the city with in three hours with all the dead ends, and 'shortcuts.' The city center had the most cobwebs and they were denser than anywhere else that we came upon. Here there were some lumps in the massive webbing. It looked almost strong enough top bear our weight, but I don't think any of us wanted to touch it. I know I didn't! We were looking for a clear route out of the city when I heard a slight sound. It was a stretching sound or a creaking. "I don't think we're alone here guys" I whispered. They stared at me in disbelief. "I don't see anything!" Yusuke stated loudly. "Shh." I told him. "I heard something move just a few seconds ago." They froze in place. Listening for something.  
  
When none of us heard anything for 5 minutes straight, Hiei relaxed saying "You're jumping at nothing. Now let's leave." He started to a nearby passage way that was mostly clear of the webbing. Yusuke followed Kurama walked after him. Reluctantly, I followed them parting some of the sticky webs. 'Wait? Are cobwebs supposed to be sticky? I thought that spider webs were the only webs that were sticky' I shrugged. I might have been mistaken. I didn't really pay any attention in school so maybe I got them mixed up. 'But gods, how I hated spiders.' I thought in disgust. 'I just hope that I WAS mistaken, and that these really are cobwebs and not spider webs' I wished fervently. But it didn't fit in my mind. The stretching noise, the sticky webs that were everywhere, and no inhabitants, they were all signs that predators lived here. And the only one that I knew that moved on webs were spiders.  
  
I began to listen even more intently than before. Determined to not let them got the drop on us. I knew that after my earlier warning, the others were a little more cautious, but id I said anything more, they might just think that I'm crazy, or that my previous injuries had caused some brain damage, even though I couldn't see how, I wasn't hurt anywhere around the head. 'Guys! The only same one among the lot of you is Kurama! At least he is paying more attention to the surrounding area!' I was slightly grumpy as I thought this. A slight hiss brought me out of my angry thoughts. I looked around frantically, seeing nothing, then I looked up. There was the biggest spider that I had ever prayed would not ever exist. It looked to be about 3 feet in diameter with hungry looking mandibles clicking in anticipation of a meal. "Umm. guys? If this place is deserted, then why is there a 3 foot spider hanging in the air a few feet away from us?" They looked up. And I almost swore I heard one of them gasp in fright. At least I wasn't the only one with a dislike of spiders.  
  
Some of the webbing started to lower itself to make a cage around us. 'Great! Just Great! I'm stuck in a webbed enclosure with the biggest damn spider that ever existed! Great! Just Great! I love my life!' I backed up a few more feet, and backed into Kurama. We all were backing up until Yusuke hit the webbing. "Aww.Crap! This stuff is disgusting! It's sticky!'" He announced. "I'll cut through it," Hiei said while telling Kurama and myself to "Keep it busy." I growled softly at the nerve of the short guy! As if we had to be told! Kurama pulled out his whip as I was pulling out my stilettos. I was freaked out by the sheer size of this thing, but I would not let my fear rule me. Kurama used his whip to grab the thing around it's hairy neck, and when I was sure that it could not move it's head and poison me, (A/N: I'm not sure which spiders are actually poisonous, but since they're in the underworld, all things that could be poisonous, are!) I jumped in and stabbed it in-between the eyes, towards the brain. The thing reeled; trying to throw me off it's back as I stabbed it again. It slowed and stilled finally. By then Yusuke was free of the webs, and Hiei was almost finished cutting through the webs.  
  
I sat back, slightly tired and looked up at the top of the cavern. There were even more webs coming down on us, like a clamp lowering to crush a car in the junkyards. I could barely make out the silhouettes of more of the spiders. "Crap!" I shouted. "Hiei! Get that web cut NOW!" Kurama and Yusuke looked up and saw what I saw. "Hiei! Get out of the way! NOW!" Yusuke shouted. "SPIRIT GUN!" he yelled as the bright blue ball of energy left his out pointed finger and blew the webs out of the way. "Why the hell didn't you do that in the first place?" I yelled at him. He grinned back at me and said nothing. 'Men.I don't like them.they always do things the hard way.'  
  
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And here is where I leave you for today! I'll try and have another out by the weekend. No promises, but I'll try. Buh Bye! And don't forget to REVIEW! Thanks!  
  
Signing out ~DevilWench~ 


	7. Escape

Now hear this: This is Chapter 7!  
  
Disclaimer: I said it in the past 6 chapters and I don't feel like saying it again in this one! NYAAAAAA!!!!  
  
Have a nice Day! ::Smiles::  
  
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I sat back, slightly tired and looked up at the top of the cavern. There were even more webs coming down on us, like a clamp lowering to crush a car in the junkyards. I could barely make out the silhouettes of more of the spiders. "Crap!" I shouted. "Hiei! Get that web cut NOW!" Kurama and Yusuke looked up and saw what I saw. "Hiei! Get out of the way! NOW!" Yusuke shouted. "SPIRIT GUN!" he yelled as the bright blue ball of energy left his out pointed finger and blew the webs out of the way. "Why the hell didn't you do that in the first place?" I yelled at him. He grinned back at me and said nothing. 'Men.I don't like them.they always do things the hard way.'  
  
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We ran out of the ally way as fast as possible. At almost every turn there were more spider webs then there were only minutes before. And there were more of the huge spiders perched along the tops of the roofs. We followed the mostly web free route, trying not to get caught. I slowed slightly, looking up at the spiders. Oh how I loathed them! I wrinkled my noes at them in disgust. It was pathetically easy to get away from them. 'Stupid Bugs' I mentally muttered. Here was a clear path, and they weren't even trying to stop us. "Not trying to stop us." I whispered. I slowed a little. 'Why are there so many spiders in one place, and they are not even trying to get us?' I would bet my right arm that they didn't get a meal like us very often. 'Alright, what do I know about spiders? Well, they have 8 legs, don't think that'll help. They can have a lot of eyes, so much for blinding them. They produce their webs from their @$$, I don't even want to think about that right now! And the trap their prey.crap!' No wonder it was too easy to get away from them. They were leading us into a trap. And it was probably at the center of the city, right where the cleared pathway was leading. And the center clearing was in sight, only another 120 yards or so away. Damn. I looked up to see Yusuke, Kurama, and Mr. Personality himself at least 100 yards away. "IT'S A TRAP!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. Only Kurama heard me. He paused and looked back at me. It looked like he was shouting something to the others, but they kept going. Right into the trap.  
  
It seemed to happen like slow motion. The webs, I hated to say. Gracefully fell into place behind Yusuke and Hiei, forming an opaque wall. I could hear shouting from behind the wall, but not for very long. Kurama was looking at the web wall. I was slightly out of breath when I finally caught up to him. I didn't stare at the wall. I looked up to the rooftops. Very few spiders lingered there. The few that did seemed to glare at me. Almost as if saying 'You lost us half our meal.' 'Well, damn them to hell' I thought, but realized that this probably WAS hell. "How did you know it was a trap? Kurama asked me. I looked up at him. "Well, what else could it have possibly been! One pathway almost perfectly clear of webs when the entire city is overrun with these things? Spiders are smart. I may hate the blasted things, but even I do admit that they are incredibly smart. They taught us in school that spiders are very patient. And they like to trap their prey. It was only natural that they would try to herd us into a centralized section of their hunting grounds. And it worked almost perfectly." Kurama's eyes were wide open, their emerald green color showing clearer than ever. "Now all we have to do is get Yusuke and the nit wit out."  
  
I pulled my backpack off and pulled out my bow. (A/N: It's one of those fancy metal ones that can be folded and packed away.) And I pulled out my quiver full of arrows. I was very glad that my waist length hair was still in its braid. It wouldn't get in the way. I made sure that my stiletto was accessible, while giving the other one to Kurama, and put my backpack back onto my shoulders. I pulled an arrow out of my quiver and set it at the ready. For the first time since coming into the underworld, I was about to use powers of a priestess. 'And against a wall too.' I pulled the bow up and sighted the center of the web wall. I loosed my arrow and watched as it buried itself in the center of the wall, quickly burning away the webbing. The sight of my power sent what few spiders that were left spying on us scurrying farther away.  
  
Kurama and I cautiously ran up to the burned webs and peered inside what I had deduced was the strong hold of the spiders. I really hated it when I was right. 'Sometimes' I added. There in the central clearing, was Yusuke and Hiei, covered from head to toe in webs. And what made me quiver in fear was the 10 foot high spider that was looming over both of them. "Crrrraaaaaapppppp." I muttered. How the hell were we supposed to get out of this one? Drool from the spider's mouth splashed onto the stonework beneath it. It sizzled and a small hole appeared. 'Acid!' I thought. 'Great! Just what we need right now. A spider with acid drool.' I pulled another arrow out from my quiver and shot it at the giant spider's eyes, hoping to distract it while Kurama took my stiletto and cut the others free. I don't know if it was good or bad that the arrow worked. It had taken out half of the eyes that I could see. The Spider started to lumber its way over to me, and I could tell that it was enraged. And there was little space to run.  
  
I had to keep it from noticing that Kurama was freeing its next meal. That was my job and by all that lived, I would! But it's kinda hard to keep that in mind when the Spider the size of a house was trying to catch you. The Spider stopped moving, and I was afraid that it had noticed what Kurama was doing but then I felt the air around me become slightly windier. The spider was drawing in breath. 'Is it going to spit at me?' I wondered in slight amusement and slight fear. And that was what it did. It spit that acid like drool at me. It knew that in such close range, I would be hit no matter what if I went left or right. So I did something else. I ran forward, under the monstrous Spider, my bow in my left hand. I shuddered while running under the hairy belly of the Spider. 'How easily I could be crushed if it decided to sit on me.' AS I was running, I felt something sticky wrap itself around my legs. "Damn!" I cursed angerly. I had forgotten about the webbing that comes from the spiders @$$. The webbing began to tighten around my legs, making me wince. I grabbed my last stiletto out of its sheath and hacked at the webs, thanking everyone who popped into my head that the blades were sharp, and that I healed fast since I was slicing thought parts of my legs too. It only took me a few seconds to get free, but in those precious seconds, the spider had turned and had hurled another spitball at me. I scrambled to get out of its path, but I wasn't as lucky this time. It splattered over my right shoulder. I bit my lower lip to keep from crying out in pain. It would distract Kurama. And right now that couldn't happen. Not until he has gotten Yusuke and Hiei freed.  
  
I stumbled to another wall, the pain in my shoulder reduced to a throb, a very painful throb, but a throb none the less. I pulled another arrow out of my quiver, noting that I had very few left, and pulled my bow up. I notched the arrow and brought it up to target the brain area. My shoulder ached fiercely, and my vision was becoming slightly blurred. 'Focus!' I told myself harshly. I sighted the targeted area and loosed the arrow. It sped on its way and buried itself deeply into the Spiders head. It cried out. The screech almost deafening. I took the spare second to glance over to Kurama. Hiei was gone already, and Yusuke was almost out of the webbing. A few more seconds should be enough. I gripped my stiletto firmly in right hand while looping my bow across my chest. I ran towards the spider. I extended the blade straight out and flew towards the nearest leg, severing it. The spider screeching once again. Its ruined, sightless face trying to search for me. I ran towards it again, severing another leg on the other side. I was trying to cripple it so it couldn't follow us out of this hell city.  
  
"ALEX!" Kurama was yelling. "I GOT THEM! LET'S GO!" I didn't need any more urging to leave this horrid thing behind me. I ran behind Kurama, who was half carrying Yusuke. He and Hiei were stumbling, as if they had just woken up from a long nap. I ran ahead of them clearing a path in the webs, straight out of the cursed city. Here and there, a smaller spider would appear, but it would soon vanish. It took surprisingly little time to escape the city. 'At least it wasn't JUST like my dream!' I thought amusedly through a grimace of pain from my shoulder. It was taking more time to heal than normal. But at least my legs were almost completely healed. That was a plus!  
  
We stopped about a mile outside of the city. Yusuke dropped to the ground and started to snore. Hiei just sat down and for all appearances fell asleep too. Kurama did not immediently fall asleep. He stared at me for a moment. "You're hurt." He stated bluntly. I shrugged and looked towards the nearest lava pool. It was casting red shadows everywhere. I heard rustling and I looked back to Kurama. He was digging around in my backpack. He pulled out a small first aid box. He held it in his had as he walked over to me and sat down behind me. "I saw the spider spit that acid stuff at you. Not even demonic healing can heal that THAT easily. You need to have it cleaned and bandaged." He took some of the peroxide and carefully dotted along the burns. I hissed between my teeth. It STUNG! With even more care, he put some anti- bacterial gunk over the burns, and bandaged it gently. I heard the snap of the plastic case being closed. He tossed it over towards the pack. Then he wrapped his warm arms around me once again and pulled me into his lap and rested his head on my good shoulder. We just sat like that for a few minutes. I fell asleep with a smile on my face and comforted in his arms as he whispered "Good Night Dear One"  
  
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And yet again I leave you to the normal world. But this time I leave you with a few words to the wise. If you like this story and want it to continue, please review. If I don't get any reviews, I won't continue the story. There's no point in continuing if no one reads it right? So read and review! Thanks!  
  
Signing out ~ DevilWench ~ 


	8. Whose Right?

And Now! Here is the long awaited Chapter 8! ::minions cheer::  
Ok, calm down so I can get on with all the things I have to say before I  
continue the story. ::Minions silence themselves:: Ok here's the  
news:  
Thanks to all who reviewed!  
SailorKagome  
Zoned Out Day Dreamer()  
Sailor-Knight Shadowstar  
And Cheyo-Vera --Pixiesticks are good for you!  
  
I'm kinda basing this on the 7 levels of hell thing.except that this is my  
version so no flaming at me if you don't like it! Nyaaaa!!!!!  
  
3.) Disclaimer: I will never own anything that is as cool as Inu-Yasha or  
Yu Yu Hakusho, although I wish that I did.  
  
On with the story!  
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We spent only a few hours in camp. Just barely enough to recover from  
our injuries and to throw off the lethargy that Yusuke and Hiei were  
suffering from due to the spider webs. My shoulder was still throbbing from  
the spider attack, but at least it wasn't hurting as much. It was more of  
an annoyance, like an itch that you can't scratch. And Kurama was just  
fine. 'Damn the pretty boy!' I get to fight a giant Spider and he gets to  
do the rescue thing! He never gets hurt!' I was a little miffed at him to  
say the least, but at least he was able to halfway drag all of us out. that  
counted for something! I think.  
  
As we were packing up, I was wondering where the next portal to the  
next lower part of the underworld was. In the First level, it was hidden in  
the junk of the apeish ogre, and in level 2, it was hidden under the only  
column not depicting the challenge. Both times, it wasn't someplace you  
would want it to be. I glanced around. 'Where the hell is someplace that I  
don't want to be in this place?' The lava pools were bubbling and casting a  
reddish glow over every thing. 'Could it be in a lava pool?' I shook my  
head; it would be impossible for ANYTHING to use the portal if it were. Now  
where else would I not want to be.?' For a moment, I shuddered. I think I  
knew where the portal was. Surrounded by hundreds of defenders. And who the  
hell would want to tangle with them a second time when they barely escaped  
the first? We would. We had to. As I was explaining my theory to the guys,  
Hiei paled slightly. I laughed inwardly. The great and mighty Hiei was  
afraid of spiders! At least I didn't blanch at the thought of them!  
  
We argued about where to go look for about an hour. I said that it  
was in the city, but Hiei countered that you couldn't tell from just two  
similarities. He thought we should go look at the farthest side away from  
'Spider City' as it had been dubbed. Kurama wisely stayed out of the verbal  
battle. He and Yusuke were standing on a bluff overlooking almost the  
entire cavern. Hiei and I were yelling so loudly, that I almost didn't hear  
Yusuke. Even with my sensitive hearing! "HEY! GUYS!" he shouted over the  
both of us. We paused and looked at Yusuke with angry looks on our faces.  
"I think Alex is right." I jumped up and cheered while Hiei looked like he  
was just been caught in the headlights of a Mac Truck! Serves him right for  
not believing me! 'I am the all knowing Alex!' "Hey! Shut UP!" I heard  
Yusuke shouting at me. Meekly, sort of, I faced him. "I think she's right  
because why else would there be a city filled with giant killer spiders  
with acid spit? They're there for a purpose and that is for guarding the  
portal to the next level to this damn place! And the faster we kick some  
spider butt, the faster I can get home! I got tickets to the Super Bowl!  
(A/N: I don't know what the fav. Sport is in Japan, so I'm just using the  
most vocal one here in the U.S. even if I don't particularly like watching  
football at all!) We all looked at Yusuke, stunned. Ulterior motives. I  
knew it. "So lets go kick some Spider butt!" And with those parting words,  
Yusuke ran down the hill and back to the city.  
  
It was just as eerily quiet when we entered the city the first time  
as when we entered just a few moments ago. But at least this time we knew  
what was lurking here. The spider webs were even more noticeable. More so  
because we were looking for them. "Should we try the roof tops?" I had  
asked as we entered. But they rejected the idea. So, seeing as I was not  
really a part of their group and didn't have to do what they told me to do,  
I hopped up on top of the nearest building. Yusuke just started yelling at  
me even more. Something about 'If I could jump to the top of the building  
like that, why did I have to stand on his shoulders to get over a wall?' I  
just grinned back at him. A girl's got to have some fun every once and a  
while.  
  
I found that I could see more concentrations of spider webs from my  
vantage-point than they could. As to why they didn't want to be up here  
where there was more freedom of movement, and less hassle to kill some of  
the smaller spiders, of which I had already killed half a dozen, I didn't  
have even the foggiest idea. It had to be a guy thing. Even Kurama stayed  
on the ground. Maybe Kitsunes didn't like heights. I never saw Dad jumping  
into trees, or doing anything that required height. Hell, he even lived on  
an entirely one level house. But Grandpa Inu-Yasha loved flying about.  
Maybe I got my love of heights from him? Must have I thought. I missed him.  
The more I thought about the height problem, the more convinced I became.  
Even Uncle Sesshouamru (A/N: I hope I spelled it right. ::Worry worry  
worry::) had no fear of heights! I know he was a great demon lord and  
couldn't show any fear of any kind, but I think he even enjoyed all the  
time he spent flying through the air.  
I stopped thinking about guys being afraid of heights and  
concentrated more on finding the portal. All I wanted was to find dad and  
Uncle Fluffy, and then get the heck out of here. Oh, and ask Kurama on a  
date! I giggles a little on the last thing on my to do list. I didn't think  
that would be a problem with the way he sometimes acted. I kept a close eye  
on the three figures that were three stories below me. They were going at a  
brisk walk, but not outright running. Then something hit my nose and I  
gagged. Something foul smelling was around here. It was terrible! My nose  
almost felt like it was burning! So, I started breathing with my mouth. The  
smell was a little better, but it was still horrible. And the more we  
walked, the fouler the smell became until I was almost ready to throw up  
because it was so bad.  
  
I really should have known what the horrid smell was, but I didn't  
think it would smell so bad being dead and all. The gigantic spider that I  
had fought against the previous day was crumpled in a heap on a porch in a  
smaller clearing than the one I had injured it in. There was an ichorous  
fluid pooled in a perfect circle beside what was left of it. It almost  
looked like a demarcation it was so perfect. My guess was that the other,  
smaller spiders had been using the dead spider as a food source because  
there were a lot of chunks taken out of it. I didn't kill it, but I think  
that all the injures that it had been dealt yesterday did have something to  
do with it's death. Not that I was sorry, on the contrary, I was ecstatic  
that it was dead. But I think that the other spiders might be a tad more  
vicious now that there was no ringleader to deal with. But for the few  
strays that I had dealt with, there were no other spiders to deal with. I  
hadn't heard a single stretching sound from movement on the webbing. And  
there seemed to be even fewer webs than there were last time. This was  
unnerving to say the least!  
  
From the time that we found the bloated, dead body of the spider, it  
only took us a few minutes to find the place where I had fought against it.  
The webs here were torn apart. The spider must have been thrashing about a  
lot to do this kind of damage! And I knew that it was the spider because  
that ichorous fluid was splattered around the entire place. And now that I  
could get a good look at the clearing, I could see that we weren't the  
first visitors. Not by a long shot. There were old bones halfway wrapped in  
webs hanging all over the place. There seemed to be a concentration of webs  
in one section of the clearing. Yusuke told Hiei to go cut away all the  
webs and check if there was a door underneath all the mess. There was  
nothing there but more old bones. 'Spiders are smart.' The thought from  
yesterday rang through my head again. If they're smart, then they wouldn't  
hide the portal in their own space, but they would keep it close by to keep  
an eye on it. I was remembering the way the ichorous stuff had pooled  
perfectly around the spider. Maybe it wanted one last chance to stop us  
from leaving this cavern, so it tried to go where it thought we were  
heading. To the exit! I was sure, but I wanted to be right before I told  
them what I thought. I was almost wrong about the portal being in the  
spider's lair. It was here, just not HERE!  
  
I almost flew back to the spider's mangled body in my haste. There it was  
still covered in that junk. I tried to shove to body over, but my hands  
began to burn. The acid in its drool must also be somewhat in this crap. I  
wiped my hands on the dirt to free them of the acid. 'How the heck do I do  
this with out asking for help?' I asked myself. 'If I touch it then my  
hands will get burned!' I glanced around for anything that would help.  
There were only the boards that the spider was laying on top of. But  
thankfully, one of them was clear of the acidic stuff. I pried that up and  
use that for leverage to move the corpse out of the way. And there it was.  
A round portal gleamed in the warm glow of the not too distant lava pools.  
'A spider may be smart, but so far, I'm way smarter!' I thought smugly as I  
ran back to get the others. Needless to say, they were impressed. Well, not  
Hiei, he was just a little angry. I was right and he was wrong! That was  
the way the world worked! Sometimes.  
  
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And here ends this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! You know how I work. No  
reviews no more story! So if you want it to continue.review! Thanks!  
Signing out  
~ DevilWench ~ 


	9. Confusion

Alright.here's chapter 9. I hope you like it. Thank you to those few who reviewed. ::Glares at those who read but didn't review and hugs those who did review::  
  
Now, to Mel Mel.Just as I promised I'm mentioning you in Chapter 9! Now read all the other chapters and tell me what you think or I will find a way to kill red and green elf! ::Glares at her before hugging her:: I'm just slap happy right now!  
  
Disclaimer: I'm going through the most intense torture just thinking that I don't own Inu-Yasha and Yu Yu Hakusho and now you want me to SAY it? Do you want me to die? But since I though it, it will stand as the disclaimer!  
  
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The trip through the next portal was boring and uneventful. All we had to do was jump, not hit the edges that were covered by the acidic stuff and POOF; there we were the next level of the underworld. This level was made up of a city. Wall to wall buildings. Some were taller; some were shorter than others were. And it was deserted. No webs like the last one. There was a few newspapers lying on the ground. A few cans here and there; just like a normal city, except that there were no people visible. That if anything made me nervous. I preferred a straight out fight rather than backstabing. I had my honor. Then again.I was the good guy.err. girl.  
  
I wasn't the only one who looked nervous. Yusuke was looking around warily, as were Kurama and Hiei. A faux wind blew, dragging with it some of the debris and another noxious smell. Rotten meat. I wrinkled my noes up in disgust. "Something stinks down here guys!" I told the others. They looked at me as if I was kidding. "Hey! I DO have dog demon blood in me. My sense of smell is WAY beyond normal humans. Ok, so it's not as good as a full dog demons nose, but I still have a sensitive nose!" I was touchy. I knew it. I think they knew it too. I crossed my arms and glared at all of them. Kurama looked as if he wanted to say something, but Yusuke cut him off. "So? What do you smell?" I glared at him for a few more seconds before answering. "Rotting meat." They looked at me, jaws agape. "So you're just saying that you hungry huh?" Hiei snorted. I glared daggers at him. "If I didn't think that you would actually be of any help I would be tearing out your throat and feeding it to you for breakfast!" I growled to him. His eyebrows went as far up on his head as was possible. He didn't say anything more. We just started walking to the perimeter of the city. I hoped that we wouldn't attract anymore attention from creepy monsters. All I wanted right now was to get my dad and leave this horrible place.  
  
We hadn't been walking for very long when the smell intensified. I glanced hurriedly around the group to see if there was anything there, but I couldn't see anything. What I could now hear was different. I heard a low moaning, and a shuffling coming towards us. I hissed at the others that there was something close by and coming closer as I spoke. Within seconds even they could hear the moans of some tortured soul. And shortly after that, we all could see what was moaning. About a dozen humanoid creatures dragged themselves in to our line of vision. They were awful to behold. Bones were sticking out from under some of their skin. There were some that were missing parts of their faces. Others were burned. And others still just looked as if they were falling to pieces. Literally! The whole effect was hurting my eyes. These were damned souls given form. 'And they look a little hungry' I though to myself. "Um? Since they are so slow, can we just run away from them and find the next portal?" Kurama asked. Yusuke looked a little disappointed, Hiei looked neutral as usual, and I was all for it.  
  
We turned and jogged away. It took no time to get away from that group, but we ran into another group. This one was way bigger. We ran away from them too. After running onto a few hundred more, I finally got them to just travel by rooftop. There were absolutely no lost souls up here. But it took some time to get from rooftop to rooftop. When we sat down to rest after hopping the rooftops for a hour, I looked more closely at out surroundings. I only noticed one thing that I hadn't before. A stone column sat square in the center section of the city. I hadn't seen it before because there were a lot of very tall buildings in the way. 'Maybe the where abouts of the next portal would be drawn on it. The way out of the first two places was carved in stone. Then again, they were also in the vicinity of the most dangerous monster of that level' I mused. It couldn't hurt to go take a peak anyway.  
  
We took turns standing guard while the others slept. I was first on guard, followed by Kurama. Right before it was his turn to stand guard, I wrote a note from some of the stuff in my backpack, and left it for them.  
  
HEY! Had a brainstorm on how to get info on where the portal is! Going to check it out! Be back soon!  
~ Alex ~  
  
I left it on one of the packs and hopped off towards the column unnoticed. The closer I got to the column, the louder the moans of the souls became. I flattened my ears to my head in an attempt to shut out the noise. It worked a little. But, something sounded slightly different from the pitiful moaning. It sounded like a growl. When I got closer to the column, I saw who was growling. It was human shaped. It had great leathery wings folded behind it and horns. Muscles rippled under his dark red skin. A scythe was held in enormous clawed hands. It grinned at me insanely, showing a lot of sharp pointy teeth. "Why hello pretty thing" It said in a honey coated voice. I wasn't fooled. I pulled my bow out and notched one of me few remaining arrows. I pointed it at him.  
  
He held up his arms, as if in defeat. "I haven't done anything to you" he spat. "Yet" I hissed back at him. His maniacal grin turned into a snarl. "Yes, go ahead. Prove that you are just so pure that anything that looks bad should be shot!" He shouted at me. I frowned. "You're a demon! Who cares what you want!" I shouted right back. 'The heck with this!' I thought angrily as I released the arrow. It plunged deep into his stomach. He cried out in agony, dropped his scythe, and held his hands over the wound. Blood poured into o pool at his feet as I put the bow away and took out my stilettos. 'They are getting a good work out down here' I mused while a crept up to the demon. Along the way I kicked his weapon farther from his reach. He glanced up at me. Anger flared in his eyes, as well as hopelessness. I almost pitied him, but I remembered that his master kidnapped my dad and uncle Fluffy. I killed him by slicing off his head. I threw the parts down to the lost soul below. I could hear them munching on the corpse hungrily. I looked at the remains.  
  
'He didn't really do anything to anyone' I thought. 'But he might have' I reasoned with myself. 'He was a slave to his master. All Demons are. But it looked like he was going to just let me by. But he might have been planning an ambush, or was trying to get in your good graces so that he could kill you in your sleep.' I tried to reason with myself, but after a few minutes, I gave up. I felt terrible. I was a priestess. It wasn't really my right to take a life. Even a demons. A single tear fell from my eyes as I whispered "I'm sorry" and leapt forward to the column. 'It had better be worth it!' I screamed at myself. If it wasn't then there was no reason to have killed him. I encountered no more demons on my way to the column.  
  
Sure enough, there were markings of the portal on it. It showed two levels of the underworld with a path between both of them. It looked as if there was something covering the portal. It looked sort of like a well. 'That makes sense. Who would jump down a well? Umm.Strike that! Grandma Kagome did. That's how she met Grandpa and Dad.' I smiled a little as I remembered the story that Dad and Grandpa had told me. But seriously. A well is a hole and it would be silly and obvious! No one ever notices the obvious anyway!' I looked to see if there were was anymore information that could be useful. There was a mural of the lost souls. They came upon a live person (A/N: If you were wondering how this would look, the lost souls are drawn with out some body parts, and the living person had all body parts.) and then it looked as if they ATE the person. Then the next picture had more lost souls. 'I guess if they take a bite or something, then when you die you become one of them. No wonder why there are so many of them!' I shuddered. 'No way do I want to become one of them!'  
  
I raced back to camp along the rooftops. I hoped that no one missed me except Kurama. 'Please let him have read the note and not wakened the others. I was lucky. Only Kurama was awake. I told him what I found minus the demon. I still felt guilty for killing him. And I told him of the mural. He decided to tell the others when they woke up and told me to get some sleep. I looked gratefully at him and almost sank into blissful oblivion. But then I remembered what happened the last time that I fell asleep and sat back up breathing harshly. The dream city. I shook my head. I fell asleep earlier in Kurama's arms. I wasn't going to be forever lost in a dream if I fell asleep. I sank back to the ground and fell asleep.  
  
I had a pleasant dream. I was sitting near a small, clear blue lake. There was a waterfall at the farthest end. It was sunny and warm and there was a feeling of peace surrounding me. Then there was a pair of warm arms wrapping themselves around my shoulders. I turned my head and looked back at the person. Green eyes; red hair; and a gentle smile. I leaned back into the embrace. He kept one arm around me and held my hand with the other.  
  
I awoke and blinked. 'What was I dreaming about? It felt peaceful, but who was there with me?' I looked around. Hiei was on guard duty. He was standing with his back to me. Yusuke was muttering in his sleep a few feet away and Kurama was asleep about a foot away. His hand was holding onto mine.  
  
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Ok. Here's where I leave you today. I hope you liked it! Please review! I'm very insecure about my story telling skills! ::Looks at readers with puppy dog eyes:: Review please? And as to the next posting.I won't update until I get a few reviews! So if you want to read more review! Thanks! And Mel Mel, if you are actually reading this with out me twisting your arm, click on the little button in the lower left corner of the screen and fill out a review! Or I will never give you another hug! ::Glares, jumps up and smiles while hopping around the room ::  
  
Signing out ~ DevilWench ~ 


	10. Does this help?

HI ALL! It just me! Again. Here's Chapter #10. Enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing that has such popularity. That includes Inu-Yasha and Yu Yu Hakusho. Probably never will either. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
When we were all awake and ready to go, Yusuke turned to me and asked "So where is the portal to the next level?" I just looked at him before answering. "It's in a well. And no, I don't know where the well is! We just have to find it." I turned around and looked at the column at the center of this hell and frowned. 'Why did I have to kill him? Was he really a threat?' I sighed and turned back to the others. Kurama looked at me, worried. I gave him a half smile. When he woke up earlier, he had blushed when he noticed that he was holding on to my hand. He looked HOT when he blushed. I stifled a giggle.  
  
Yusuke and Hiei started to argue on where to search. 'This could take a while' I thought as I opened my backpack. A small sparkly object fell out. It was the piece of jewelry that I had picked up when we first landed here in the underworld. Except that when I first picked it up it wasn't glowing. Now it was. The onyx center was glowing a steady purple. I wondered why it was doing that. I closed up my pack and examined the glow closer. When I turned west, it faded, if I turned east, it glowed brighter. 'Why was it glowing? It wasn't doing that when I found it! Maybe it's a locator. If it was, then it would be dimmer the closer it was to a portal. Demons hate light. It made sense. Kind of. (A/N: I know that doesn't really make any sense, and they have to have a way of locating the portals don't they? And this is the easiest way I can do that. I am the creator! I can do that! HA!!!)  
  
Yusuke and Hiei were still arguing on where to search first, when I heard a moan come from a short distance away. I turned to look, and there was a lost soul dragging it's way towards us. And it wasn't alone. There was at least another dozen behind it. 'How did they get up here? I thought they weren't that coordinated!' I ran up to Yusuke and told him to try following the gem. "I know this sounds crazy, but I think it'll work. Just go the way that makes it dimmer." At his confused look I added, "Demons of the underworld don't like light. So they will go away from the light. And when I found this it was practically on top of the first portal!" He looked at me and nodded. Hiei muttered "Just like a woman to pick up strange jewelry." I glared at him and he shut up and looked away. "So what way do we go?" he asked. "West" Yusuke said. We jumped to the next building. I looked back and the top of the building that we were on was filled with lost souls now. I shuddered. That had been too close.  
  
We followed the slowly dying light for an hour before we spotted the well. It was a good 200 feet below us, and to top it off, there were lost souls surrounding it, as well as another lesser Demon. Not a good day. I was thinking about making a plan of attack like I did with Kurama, but it went down the drain when Hiei and Yusuke jumped down into the fray. I looked over at Kurama who only shrugged and jumped down after the both of them. This was going to be a long day! I grabbed my stilettos back out. I thought to use my powers a priestess, but it might attract more attention than we could handle right now. It would be best if I used them only in an emergency. I jumped down into the chaos below me.  
  
The lesser Demon was my first target. It would know how to fight and it had a lot more power. Kurama, it seemed had the same idea. Yusuke and Hiei seemed to enjoy beating the brains out of the lost ones. 'Men' I thought. 'Always like doing the things that require no brain power.'  
  
It took almost no time to kill the lesser demon. After all, I HAD killed one yesterday all by myself. Then, as Kurama turned to help Hiei and Yusuke, I started uncovering the well. Down at the bottom there was a slight swirling. It had to be the portal. I grinned. 'Three Cheers to the gem hoarding girl!' I turned. Most of the lost ones had been destroyed, and the few remaining ones were quickly cut down. Yusuke, Hiei, And Kurama joined me at the well after tidying up the mess. "I suppose this is it." Kurama said softly. Hiei just grunted. And Yusuke did the strangest thing I had ever seen. "Last one in is a rotten egg!" He had shouted before jumping into the portal. He vanished with an audible "Plop!" The three of us that were left just looked at each other in shock and amusement. I jumped in next, Followed by Hiei. Kurama was the rotten egg.  
  
The next level, the fifth one we've landed in looked like a barren wasteland. There were geysers, and desert dunes. Parts of the ground were dry and cracked. A faux wind blew sand into my nose and ears. I didn't like this place. I didn't like any of the other places, but this one really made me not like it by just existing! We all looked at Yusuke who was carrying the gem now. He had it out already in his hand and was slowly spinning around. "That way!" (A/N: They don't have a compass so they don't know what way is North and none of them has any sense of directions!) And we all marched "That way!" It wasn't long before we encountered a challenge form this level.  
  
Eight demonic dogs came racing up to us. They looked almost like Zombie dogs. There were bones sticking out, ribs were showing, some had eyeballs hanging out of their eye sockets. They glistened with a slime like substance. The whole effect was gross. It made my stomach do a flip-flop. Partly because I was part dog demon I guess. And to top it off, they smelled like a cross between a pissed off skunk and diapers left out in the sun for too long! It was nauseating to say the least! And I wasn't the only one who thought they smelled. All three guys were holding their noses. For a minute, nothing moved. Not us, not them. Then, all hell broke loose.  
  
All the Demon Dogs leapt for us. Two to each person. Hiei, being a speed demon that he is, (A/N: I know he's actually a fire and ice demon, but he's just so fast that I couldn't resist! No flames from anyone on this statement!) He was the only one who didn't get buried in slime dogs. 'Ewww..I'm going to need a bath after this! Blood stains are one thing, but THIS is another!' I thought in disgust as I felt the tow Demon dogs leap on top of me. They pinned me to the ground so fast that I couldn't even grab a stiletto. I had no physical weapons that I could reach to use on them. 'I didn't want to use my powers, but if I don't do something right now, I'm dog food. Eww.NO way!' I pulled on the power that I use as priestess and shoved it into the demon dogs. They exploded into blood and guts and some other material that is just way too gross to mention. And the smell doubled. I sat up in the mess that I had made to see if any one else needed help. Hiei was still fighting his two, but every time he sliced into the body, it would heal right back up. Kurama had his Rose Whip out and was holding his two at bay. Yusuke was just punching the hell out of his two. He, of all seemed to be doing all right for now.  
  
I helped Hiei first. Not because I wanted to, but because he was loosing his battle and I needed his help to get Dad and Uncle Fluffy out. I gathered up more power and shoved it into the Demon Dogs just like I had to the ones that attacked me. They exploded too. Right on Hiei. He was totally covered with the left over body parts now. Kurama was next because Yusuke appeared to be having fun. (A/N: Never part a guy from his fun.It could be dangerous to your health!) This time The Demon dogs exploded away from their target. Kurama was barely splattered much to his delight, and to Hiei's anger. As I was going to help Yusuke, he shouted "SHOT GUN!" The two Demon Dogs disintegrated. 'I guess I didn't have to help him at all.' I thought.  
  
"Now which way?" Hiei asked. Yusuke pulled the gem out of his pocket. He turned in a circle again and just walked in the direction we needed to go. In the distance, we all could hear Howling. There were more of those things out there. We would have to take care and Find the portal quick. I didn't know how long we could last under these conditions. 'Damn, it's hot down here!' I mused while I followed Yusuke who had a hold on my gem.  
  
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And here ends the chapter. R&R. Tell me what you think! Good? Bad? I want at least two reviews. I would prefer three.but I'm not greedy. When I get two, I'll start the next chapt! And there will be more Inu-Yasha characters. The group just isn't far enough in the underworld. And tell me I f I should Have Kikyo be a general or something in a lower level! Buh- Bye for now!  
  
Signing out ~ DevilWench ~ 


	11. Behind a reflection

HI! This is the great DevilWench with Chapter 11! I'm so happy! 4 Reviews Already and I just posted a few days ago!  
  
First of all, I'd like to thank to say thank you to the people who reviewed lately. I'm gonna try and thank each person as the review chapters from now on!  
  
Cheyo-Vera: Thank you for reviewing so often! I feel special! YAY!  
  
Zoned Out Day Dreamer(): I luve it when authors mention me in their thank yous so of course I would like to pass on the feeling! ::Smiles happily::  
  
Kasia: Thank You very much!  
  
Nykimstar: Thank you for the review!  
  
Morlana: Thank you! Thank you! Thank You!  
  
Disclaimer: Why do I put myself through this torture? Oh, Yeah! I don't wanna get sued! I'm broke! Poor! Saving for Otakon! Don't sue me! I don't own Inu-Yasha or Yu Yu Hakusho! You have no reason to bother me now!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ^.^8 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
We hurried across the barren wasteland. 'Gods!' I thought. 'That damned Spider was the toughest fight we've actually had the entire time we've been here! Shouldn't the monsters of each level get stronger as we go deeper?' The thought almost made me pause. 'Why have the fights been so easy?' I slowed slightly, not much, but enough so that I let Hiei and Kurama pass me. More howling came from my left. It wasn't close, but it WAS closer! "We're almost there!" I heard Yusuke shout from up ahead. 'This is way too easy!' I was getting jumpy. 'Nothing is supposed to be THIS easy! It doesn't make any sense! Or maybe it makes perfect sense?' The darker part of my brain reasoned. 'Maybe something else is clearing the way for you knowing that you are coming for it? Something DID pull you through the gate in Uncle Sesshomaru's basement!' I was confused. Then again, I'm confused so much now a days that it wasn't anything new!  
  
I stopped worrying about it when we saw four people running towards us. The closer we got the more familiar they felt. When we were only about 50 or so feet away, I realized who they were. They were us. Like reflections. I raised my arm and so did the other me. We walked closer and so did our reflections. They mirrored us in every way. The only difference was that the colors on the reflections were slightly darker. We were so close that I could reach out and easily touch the mirror me. "The portal is on the other side!" Yusuke hissed angerily. "Well, then we just have to go around the mirror won't we?" I answered him before going back to looking at the reflection. Something just didn't feel right. And the feeling doubled when it grinned at me and reached out and grabbed my hand.  
  
I was pulled inside the mirror by my double before I could react. She grinned at me, an evil glint in her dark green eyes. I pulled my hand out of her grasp and grabbed my stilettos. The long, thin blades gleamed slightly as I took a step back. She waved at me and stepped out of the mirror, a few yards away from Kurama. I ran after her only to slam into the mirror. "If they shatter the mirror, then you shatter too!" She hissed for my ears alone. She waved Good bye to me again before catching up to the others. She latched onto Kurama's arm as I glared at her from my side of the mirror. Kurama looked down at my double and blushed. My mirror image just tightened her grip on his arm. I smashed my fists on the barrier that was keeping me from bashing her brains in, as a tear trailed down my cheek. 'I've got to find a way out of here!' I thought to myself scathingly as I followed them from my side of the mirror. 'Don't they notice that that isn't me?!? Kurama should have noticed at least! He notices a hell of a lot more than those other two combined!'  
  
No one noticed that it wasn't me who was following them, much to my deep regret and sadness. 'Maybe they couldn't help me at all if they're THAT stupid!' I squared up my shoulders. 'Well, then, I guess I'll just have to find my own way around. Yusuke did say that the portal IS on this side! I just have to go find it!' I looked around at my new surroundings. The same as before. 'Crap! This place is huge!' I shuddered to think on how long it would take to search. "No time like the present." I looked back at Kurama, Hiei, and Yusuke and wondered if I was making the right choice. Another tear fell onto the dry ground. I p[laced my hand on the wall. "Good bye" I whispered, more tears trailing down my cheeks. "Good Bye." I turned and walked off. I knew the general direction that Yusuke had last pointed out. I started walking. I didn't look back. I knew that if I did, I wouldn't be able to keep going.  
  
There were a few stray Demon Dogs who tried to stop me, but I destroyed them easily. Most kept away, feeling my powers. 'They're stupid, but not suicidal.' I grinned cynically. I felt empty. Like I had lost some part of myself. I glanced up towards the ceiling. "Kurama." I muttered softly. I almost didn't realize that I had found the next portal until I nearly stumbled into it. I stared at the shifting colors. 'Should I go on ahead? Or should I wait and see if they show up on their own? Or should I go look for them even if they couldn't see or hear me?' I paced around the edge, not knowing what to do. A familiar sounding dream made the choice for me. I couldn't just leave them. They helped me when I was trapped in the dream world. Even if I didn't really want to help them, I would feel honor bound to help them this time. I hurried my footsteps as I heard more screams.  
  
I ran towards the screams as fast as I could until I ran smack into the mirror wall again. I got up and rubbed my nose slightly with the palm of my hand before pressing both of my hands to the wall, as well as my ear. I could hear the other me laughing like a maniac and more of the baying of the Demon Dogs. 'She must have led them to a trap!' I thought worriedly. I pounded my fists on the mirror, but nothing happened. Tears streamed down my face in rivers. There was nothing that I could do I really was the useless one. I collapsed to my knees and pounded the dirt with my fists. As I was pounding the inoffensive dirt beneath me, an arrow from my quiver fell to the ground beside my hand. I paused my semi-hysterical crying and stared at it for what seemed like an eternity. Tentatively, I reached out my hand and grabbed the arrow shaft and looked at it as the dim light made the polished wood shine. Carefully, I infused my power into it and touched it to the wall. It passed through easily enough, until I tried to pass my hand through. My hand did not go through at all. But the arrow did. Maybe I can use it to stop the other me. 'But if I kill her, will it kill me?' I wondered for a split second. It didn't really matter. If I could destroy her then the others could go save Dad and Uncle Fluffy! It would have to be good enough.  
  
I pulled my bow back out and notched the arrow to it, praying that it would strike the false me and kill her. I put all the power that I dared to into the arrow and released it. A moment later I heard a shriek and the Demon Dogs yelping in fear. I could almost see the arrow sticking out of her chest. I sat down relieved that it had worked. But then I became worried. 'What if I was too late? What if I hit them? What if there wasn't enough power?' My mind was in chaos. All the 'what-ifs' ran rampant through my mind unendingly.  
  
What cut through my haze was someone shouting my name. Yusuke was the first to come over the dune that had blocked my sight from everything. He was followed quickly be Kurama. Hiei was last and he had his hands in his pockets and looked like he was sulking. "Kurama!" I yelled out hoping that he would hear me now that the other me was dead. They paused just before the mirror wall and looked around. Good. "Alex! Where the hell are you?" Yusuke shouted angrily. "I'm here!" I shouted back at them. They looked around some more. Good. That meant that they could hear me, even if they couldn't see me. "Where?" Kurama shouted. "On the other side of the mirror wall!" And to prove it, I pounded on the wall again. "That damned woman pulled me over here!" Hiei smirked. "And Hiei! Stop smirking! I CAN see you! And it's not funny!" I shouted at him. "ANNNNDDD, I found the next portal!" I shut up after that, while they tried to figure away to get over here. I sat down against the mirror and fell asleep.  
  
Only to be woken up by Yusuke firing his 'Spirit Gun' and shattering the mirror. I screamed. 'If the mirror should be shattered, I would be shattered too!' I could feel the shards slice into my back. I looked up a few seconds later, still alive. Yusuke and Kurama were smiling at me. They could see me. I blinked. I wasn't dead. 'Why the hell did I listen to her. She lied to me. Evil people lie all the time!' I raged inwardly at my own stupidity.  
  
As I stood to brush off the mirror slivers, when Kurama wrapped me up in a hug. He wrapped his warm arms around me as I hugged back. 'Gods! How I missed him.' I didn't feel like a part of me was missing anymore! We separated only when Yusuke and Hiei cleared their throats and asked if we could go to the portal. We separated with cherry like blushes.  
  
In no time flat, we were at the portal. And once again, I thought that it had been too easy. And once again, Yusuke jumped in first. Hiei followed shortly after that. Kurama grabbed my hand and we both jumped in at the same time.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ^.^8 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
How was that? Any good? R&R Please! If I get no reviews, I won't continue! To those of you who do review, I will say thank you to you in the next chapter! Buh-Bye!  
  
Signing Out ~ DevilWench ~ 


	12. Hey All!

Hey All! I'm sorry! This isn't the next Chapter. ::Cries:: I'm having a  
serious  
writers block. I've got to have the next level be more dangerous, but I'm  
having a  
little trouble deciding how to do this. I have tried to just write and see  
where my  
fingers take me, but after a few tries and several naps later, I'm just  
going to have  
to wait for another muse to float on by. So hang in there. I will finish  
this story! It's  
one of my pet peeves about myself to finish what I start! But I also have  
been  
busy. Three Birthdays! I've got 2 jobs, and applied for a third. But,  
somehow I will  
finish. I'm just not sure when. Sorry!  
  
Signing out  
~ DevilWench ~ 


	13. Thinking

HI! I finally became bored enough that my brain finally came up with a few ideas! ::Crowd cheers :: I had to help fix a few windows at my grandmother's, and it was annoying to say the least! And my muse came back from vacation! So.YAY! But for those of you who were waiting, here is the next chappie! I did promise after all that I would get around to it when I was hit by inspiration! Thankfully it wasn't a train!  
  
Thanks to you the reviewers! I don't have all the names right now, but you know who you are! Cheyo-Vera.Thanks.I sooooooooo love my job.::Wishes for death:: ^.^8  
  
Disclaimer: You ask the same thing every day. I give you the same answer! I OWN NOTHING THAT IS THIS POPULAR! Good day to you! ::Slams door shut:: ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
'Alright, we have to be close to the bottom about now.' I thought as I gazed around. It was almost like home. Except everything was dead. Dead trees. Dead bushes, a dry river bed. Even a decrepit shrine straight ahead could be seen. It looked like my home and everything around it had died. There wasn't even any grass under my boots. I gazed around at the dead landscape while the others were getting orientated. The trip wasn't as smooth as the other ones were. It was like someone threw us into a blender and turned it one full blast. Needless to say, they were all dizzy. I just shut my eyes and I was fine. A few minutes later and Yusuke was still dizzy. So, I took the gem out of his hands and looked for the direction of the next portal. It was almost directly ahead of us, in the shrine. That wasn't too far. The gem was already dim. 'Way too easy' I thought again. 'Way, way too easy!' I sat down and waited for the guys to get over their dizzy spell.  
  
It only took a few minutes for them to re-orient themselves. I told them that the portal wasn't too far away. But I kept the gemstone. I found it, so I should get to keep it. I gazed out at the ruined landscape and wished that I were back home. No one really bothered me there. I was a mess. My clothes had dried blood in them. My hair was all oily and nasty. The meaning of the word 'Bath' was only a dream to me now. And I was sure that I smelled really bad too. I know Yusuke did. Kurama and Hiei were demons so, I guess that helped them out a little. I tried to search out any danger from Demons. I couldn't sense anything. It was strange. I usually could feel even the slight presence of even a human. But, here I couldn't sense anything. Not even Yusuke, Hiei and Kurama. I shook my head. I just wasn't concentrating hard enough. I was worried about Dad, and this place reminded me of home. So that's why I couldn't concentrate. The thought seemed right. And I made myself believe it though deep down, I knew something was wrong. I bit back a yawn as the others stalked towards the portal. I tried to shake off the fuzziness in my head, but it refused to go away. I walked a short distance away from the others. And now that I think about it, I'm glad I did.  
  
There was an electric wall surrounding the portal. We couldn't see it, but could touch. Or at least Yusuke, Hiei and Kurama could feel it. I saw them walk straight into it and fall back on their respective asses. And all I could manage to do is stare at them. 'Maybe the trip through the portal did disorientate me more than I thought' I mused. Yusuke was shouting several colorful words that Grandpa Inu-Yasha would have been proud of. I grinned slightly and sat down. "HEY! WHY ARE YOU SITTING DOWN?" Yusuke shouted at me. I glared at him. "There's no use just ramming the wall. So, it's better to think of a way around the problem." Simple yet true. Plus it gave me a little time to rebraid my hair. 'Now, what has helped us before to find the portals?' The answer hit me so suddenly that I just about fell over! At most of the levels, there was some carvings depicting how to get to the portals! We just didn't need to look for them a few times. I grinned at my own stupidity. There was always a way. What if the minor meanies couldn't remember how to get down to the lowest level to talk to the boss? They needed pictures to show them how to get there. I giggled. When I looked up, all three men were staring at me. I couldn't tell if they were amused or angry. So, I stood up and dusted myself off before telling them what I though of. Hiei definitely looked angry. I don't think he likes very much. Especially since I was right about several things that he tried to contradict. And he was giving me the shivers the way he was staring at me so intently. It was creepy to say the least. I was about to yell at him to stop staring when he looked away. I growled inwardly, but stopped when Kurama put a hand on my shoulder. I smiled at him. 'God! How could any man, demon, human or anything, be so damned cute!'  
  
As we were looking for the carvings for this level, I caught wind of a familiar scent. The sent of someone strong, and smart, yet with an undertone of gentleness. I knew this scent though I had only smelled it a few times. But one does not forget the smell of Family. 'Uncle Sesshomaru!' I cried inwardly. 'He's here!' I whipped my head in the direction that his scent was coming from. I wanted to go after him, but the others wouldn't want to go after the one who instigated this descent to hell. I became nervous, almost to the point of biting my nails. So, I told a white lie. I said that we should split up. We could find the carvings faster that way. Hiei wouldn't agree with me, but then again, he wouldn't agree with me even if I said that the moon was silver! So we ignored him. Yusuke was all for it. His exact words were "More demon ass kicking for me then!" Kurama looked skeptical, but went along with the idea. Hiei, being outvoted, just sulked a short distance away. We all picked a different direction to search. I, of course, picked the direction that Uncle Sesshomaru was. He was family after all. And even though he got us into this mess, maybe he had an explanation. I hoped that he did. If he didn't, Yusuke and the others, not to mention Dad, when we found him, would kill him very slowly. And I mean slowly. As in years, slowly. I pushed the horrid thought away as I jogged towards Uncle Fluffy. I was supposed to meet them back at the pseudo shrine in an hour. I wasn't planning on being back in time. Not with out my Uncle. Evil or not. I kept on jogging.  
  
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Well. It was a little short. But for still having a slight writer's block, I think I did rather well! Remember Reviews=Updates. You know what to do! And I know there was something else that I wanted to say, but I'm sleepy, I'm hungry, I'm thirsty, and I have to go get ready for work. The most boring work in the world. (At least to me!) And It may take a little time to get the next chapter out, so please be patient! Thanks! ::Falls asleep:: zzzzzzzzzz....  
  
Signing out  
  
~ DevilWench ~ 


	14. Finding Fluffy

HI. Chappie 13 is here. Unlucky 13 for most. Hopefully not me.  
  
I do not own Inu-Yasha or Yu Yu Hakusho  
  
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It wasn't easy to find my Uncle. There were all these demonic creatures in my way, and they just would not go away! So I killed them all. It should have bothered me that I was killing without any remorse, but somehow, it just didn't. For the entire run there was only my own thoughts to keep me company. It was restful, but at the same time unsettling. My thoughts were dark. 'What if he's dead? What if Dad's dead? Will we even survive this fight? Can we get to the next level? Who is in control here? Why Dad?' All these thought, and more still ran through my head as if they had rocket blasters on them.  
  
After nearly half an hour of running, it seemed like I wasn't any closer to finding Uncle Sesshomaru. It was annoying. Very annoying. I hoped that Yusuke and the others were having more luck with their own quests than I was having with mine. I was becoming tired. My legs were starting to feel the strain from the half-hour of straight out running. So, I paused for a few minutes to catch my breath. Sitting while I took a huge whiff of the surrounding air. The scent I was following seemed a little stronger than it was a moment ago. I stood again, and the scent faded slightly, so I bent down and put my nose to the ground and sniffed. His scent was definitely stronger. It was coming from underground. And Apparently, I over shot my query. It took some time to retrace my steps because I had to go with my nose to the ground. Thankfully, I was only three miles too far.  
  
Now came the hard part. I had to dig into the sand and cracked dirt. But the only thing I could use for this would be my own hands. The sand would be a bitch to get rid of. And I was right. It kept sliding back into the hole I was digging. But I was right. Uncle Sesshomaru was down here. Somewhere. The hole I was digging was already 6 feet deep and it was getting harder to throw all the sand up and out. Somehow I managed though. At least until one of those blasted hounds jumped into my little hole. It clawed and bit at me. Fighting in such close proximity was more to my advantage since I was smaller, but even so, it was drawing a lot of blood. But once I got over my surprise and anger that I had not sensed it's presence, the odds turned to my favor really quick. Soon, all that was left was a mass of tainted meat pouring blood all over the sand at my feet. "Oh man." I moaned. Now I had to drag the carcass out. Hauling a two plus corpse out of a 7-foot deep hole was not my idea of fun. Especially when I was injured. But somehow, I manage to do just that. It had almost been an hour already. Soon, they would either find a way through the barrier and go through the portal or come and find me. I hoped for the former. There were other prisoners according to Boton, not just my Dad. And some of them might die if they came after me. I know it. And I hope they know it. Time was running out and I was only here for my family, not to be a hero. That's their job.  
  
After I hauled the decaying remains out of my little hole in the ground, I started to slowly remove more of the sand. Thankfully, the blood from the demon had soaked in and made the sand clump together. The only good use for that blasted beast. It made my job a little easier. The sand practically threw itself out now. Two more feet, three, four, and I hit bottom. A tarnished metal rang heavily when I hit it. Now I just had to find out how to open it. Which meant more digging. Joy.  
  
I knew my hour had past when I finally uncovered all of the door. It had long passed. And no sign of any of them. They must had either found a way through the portal, or were still searching for a way through. The door was simple in design. There were rings for handles, and if I stood on one side, I could haul one of them up, and hop through. Easy enough I guess. Maybe they thought that no one would be able to find this door since it was buried about 11 feet under sand. So, I tried to open the door. It was heavier than I had thought possible, but I could pull it open. But I think I pulled a muscle or something. Beyond the door was a typical vision of hell. Caves with more of the lava pools, torture devices placed around the entire cavern spaces. And a hell of a lot of lower class demons. And It was just my luck that they happened to see the sunlight flooding through the door I just opened. I wish I just had no luck instead of bad luck. I pulled my stilettos back out and braced myself for the attack that swarmed up towards me. Lower class demons were no problem for me, but a hoard of lower class demons was another matter entirely. I could handle 23 of them at once, but the 24th one was the one I was worried about. And there were about a hundred of them rushing towards me. Crap. But at least I found what I had come for. Uncle Sesshomaru was chained to a stalactite that hung just over a small lava pit. And his chains were slowly slipping down. He didn't have very much more time left.  
  
The first of the demons I cut down easily enough using just my physical weapons. When the next wave hit, there was about 30 swarming around me and I had to use my priestess powers to get them all. But that left me weaker. That, with the injuries from the demon beast that haven't quite healed yet, the pulled muscle in my arm, and the new slight injuries I was receiving, was wearing me down at an advanced pace. I had to end this soon, or I wasn't going to make it. But gathering that much power while fighting at the same time was difficult. It was almost like trying to pat your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time. One slip and you lose it. And id I lost it here, I was a goner. And so was my uncle. For the first time in my life, another persons life was held in my hands, and my hands alone could save that person. Before, with the spider, Kurama could have pulled it off with out my help, and every time I helped someone out back home, it wasn't a life or death situation. There was always another option. But not this time. That, and nothing else, made me hang on to the two separate thoughts.  
  
When I almost had all the power I needed, that 24th demon snuck up on me. It left a trailing gash that started at my back and trailed up to the back of my skull. I fell, gasping to the ground, the demons piling on top of me. I couldn't breath, but then again, I was barely conscious from the last blow. But I had to hang on. If not for me then for my family. And I'll be damned if I let Hiei get the last word in on this! I just know that he'd make fun of me for losing to lower level demons. He wouldn't care if there were one, or a thousand. He'd still laugh. And Kurama. He'd worry. He's probably worrying right now. And he was just too damned cute to make worry like that! All these things kept me from blacking out and dying right now. I continued to gather power and once I reached what I needed, I let it flood the cavern, destroying all the demons bent on hurting others. Hopefully, Uncle Sesshomaru wasn't thinking about hurting anyone except the demons, or he might have a little problem that superceded his falling into the lava pool. I felt the weight lift from my back as the power rammed the demons that had piled on top of me. After what seemed like an eternity, I slowly raised my head. The demons were either gone or had retreated. Now was my chance to grab my uncle and run for it.  
  
I think he was surprised to see me. He just kept staring at me and it got to be really annoying so I asked him flat out what his problem was. "Why did you save me girl?" My jaw dropped. Literally. "Well," I began. "For one, I want to know why you did what you did, why you got us all dragged into this horrid place, and two, you're family" I answered simply. Now it was his turn for the jaw drop. "Family? I have ignored you all you short life girl, I do not count myself as part of your family!" He had regained his composure and the ice mask I have always seen plastered onto his face. I stuck my tongue out at him. It was childish, but right now it was the only thing I had the energy for, besides retorting one last thing to him. "I don't care if you don't count yourself as part of the family, you are my blood kin, and there fore part of my family whether you like it or not. And I protect my family when I can and when I need too!" I fell asleep then.  
  
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And here I stop for now. I guess my muse is working very very hard to make up for her untimely vacation! Oh, well. All's well that ends well. I think! Now, if you want another chapter, I want a review. You get what you want when I get what I want! Buh bye! REVIEW!  
  
Signing out ~ DevilWench ~ 


	15. Prisoner

Chapter 14! Woo-Hoo! Thanks to my one and only reviewer for Chapter 13. ::glomps Cheyo-Vera:: This chapter is for you!  
  
And guess what? I've actually got an outline for the rest of the story! I'm now just making up the story as I go now! There will be a meaning for practically everything! And it will make sense! Wahhhh-hoo! YAY!  
  
Disclaimer: You ask the same question every time, and every time, I give you the same answer! I don't own anything! That includes Inu-Yasha and Yu Yu Hakusho! Take that you nasty lawyers! ::Throws water balloons at them::  
  
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When I woke up, I saw the top of the cave first. I don't know what I was really expecting, but the cave top wasn't it. I turned my head to the side and saw my Uncle Sesshomaru sitting alertly next to a stone pillar. "We should go now" he said coldly. I sat up and nodded. Those demons that I had not killed would be back, and they would bring reinforcements! I stood and took inventory of all my injuries. It wouldn't do to forget about them now that staying alive was more important. There were a lot of gashes along my arms and legs. My outfit was totally caked with my dried blood. I would have to throw the whole thing out when I got home. If I got home! Most of the injuries that I got during the fight with the demonic dog in the pit were nearly healed up. They were small scabs that were slowly sinking into my skin. Huzzah for my demon blood! Aside from those, there didn't seem to be anything else wrong with me at all! I thought it must have been very good luck! I seem to be having that a lot lately. 'Or' as my subconscious reminded me, 'it could be a trick to get you further in and destroy everyone in one fell swoop!' the thought made me uneasy. There had been some tough moments, but not very many. 'Maybe we are being tested or something?' My thought became a torrent. Why this' and why that's kept whirling into my mind and whirling right back out before I could make any sense of them.  
  
I followed my Uncle back to the doors that I found during my dig, when I gave one glance back to the cavern where he had been held prisoner. I was thinking that he never answered the question that I had asked earlier. 'Why was he helping whatever it was that kidnapped dad?' The last glance through, along with that thought, made me realize that maybe he wasn't the only prisoner here. There might be another person here! I had to argue for about an hour with my Uncle to get him to go back in there, but I couldn't really blame him. He was tortured in there. I wouldn't want to go back in there if I had been tortured. But I won in the end and we both went back inside. I think he gave in because he was tortured here, and might not have wanted anyone else to suffer that pain and humiliation. Occasionally, he had a heart. And sure enough, there was someone else in there. Alive at any rate. Most of the bodies were of people long since dead. A woman who had been bound and gagged lay in a shadowed corner. I almost had bypassed her because she was staring straight ahead almost as if she were dead. But, maybe she wanted to die. How long had she been down here?  
  
My first attempt to get her on her feet was met by her going into frenzy. She kicked and thrashed against me, and I could swear that she bit me! I slapped her gently and she seemed to blink a few times before calming herself down. "We're going to get you out of here" I told her. I'm not sure if she heard me, or if she even understood what I said, but it's the thought that counts! At least that's what everyone is always telling me. I glanced up towards my Uncle who was now standing back by the doors. He shook his head. There were no other survivors. Slightly stunned, I dragged both myself and the woman out the doors and up the slope of the sandpit. The harsh light made all of us blink furiously. I would adjust more quickly because they had been down there longer that I had. I glanced around at the terrain while both my Uncle and the woman sat on the sandy ground, resting. Once assured of the temporary safety of my group, I glanced back at the two former torture victims. Uncle Sesshomaru looked terrible. His face looked pained and drawn. His eyes, formerly empty, held the remembrance of what he had been through. It's not everyday the Lord of the Western lands was entrapped and tortured. And the strangest thing was that he had pale scars crawling everywhere that I could see. Some were long and thin, others were blotchy looking, as if they splattered some of that lava on him. It angered me to think of all the horrible things that these demons had inflicted on my family. Uncle Sesshie was tortured, who knows what's happening to dad, and I'm now fighting against demonic hoards and getting injured because of it.  
  
The woman had long black hair. Some of it was pulled back into a cloth band. But it was falling apart. What surprised me the most about her was the fact that she was wearing priestess robes! Her voluminous red pants were in tatters, and there were brownish splatters of old blood on them. Her white over shirt was almost entirely brown with old blood. Rips showed pale skin caked with dirt. But her eyes were the most interesting. It took a while for me to get a good look at them, but when I did, they made me shiver slightly. They looked blank. As if she really was dead. But she couldn't be since she was breathing and she was moving on her own. She hasn't spoken yet, but she had been tortured, so I gave her a little slack. But as with the case in my life, my Uncle knew her. "Kikyo" He breathed. I couldn't tell if there was any emotion put with that name, but it almost sounded like either tiredness, or hatred.  
  
I tried to think of someway to get them out of here with out me leading them all the way back out. I wanted to follow after Yusuke and the others. They might need my help or something. While I was thinking, I figured that I could drag both of them back to the portal, and decide from there. It would give me more time to think. How to do this. For someone who spends a lot of time alone, I was now keeping a lot of company around. When we got back there, the barrier wasn't there. Yusuke and the others must have found a way to disable it. I felt slightly hurt to think that they left me behind, but I knew that they had to. If I had actually been part of their team, they might have come to look for me, but since I wasn't, they didn't. I knew this was what was going to happen, and I accepted it. But that didn't mean I had to like it! I knew that I would keep going. I was just too stubborn, and too curious to go back now. Plus I HAD to find Dad! That's why I came this far after all. I can't believe that I had for one second thought of going back. Now all I had to worry about was the other two tag-alongs. I didn't know what 'Kikyo' would think about it, but I'm sure my Uncle would not want to be left behind. He was too proud and he had a score to settle with this place.  
  
When I told them that I was going through the portal to the next level, not only did my Uncle insist on going with me, just as I thought he would, but this 'Kikyo' insisted as well. Just not in words. She just walked straight into the portal. She definitely had an attitude. But, hey! She had been tortured. So she had the right to have a little attitude. Right? Either way, it was annoying. I followed next, and my uncle brought up the rear.  
  
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And here I will stop! Is it getting more interesting? The next level is the final level! So be prepared for the explanation of the whys to come up in the next few chapters! Huzzah! Now! I told you all earlier that there would be more Inu-Yasha characters! And here is the first! Kikyo is here! But is she really a friend, or is she the snake in the grass! Find out in the next chapters! To see the next chapters all you have to do is give me a review! That's all! Easy huh? So, if it's so easy, than why do so few of you review? I want to know who all reads this story! So hit the little purple button in the lower left hand corner! Buh Bye!  
  
Signing Out ~ DevilWench ~ 


	16. Betrayal

Chapter 15!  
  
No author notes as of now  
  
Cheyo-Vera: You are welcome. Have another hug ::Hugs:: I just wish I could go back to school. I'm soo bored! Review as often as you want! So long as one person reviews, I will continue this story! And Vera.STOP STEALING THE PIXIE STIX! That's like stealing insanity!  
  
Disclaimer: See previous disclaimers from other chapters.  
  
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The last level of this hell was nothing like any of the previous levels. Lush trees densely surrounded us. There were bushes and flowers all around. It was like going back in time. In short, it was beautiful. 'How could someone so evil live in a place that looks so pure?' I wondered. Kikyo, I saw just sort of staggered through the trees. It was almost like she knew where she was going. I glanced back at my Uncle. "You know her don't you?" I asked him. He nodded. "Spill" I commanded of him. For a moment I thought he wasn't going to tell me anything, but then he said; "She was a powerful priestess. Your grandmother was her reincarnation. She was brought to life and clinged to it only because of her hated of my stupid half brother." I almost smacked him for insulting grandpa, but I let it slide. 'Now is not the time to anger the pissed off demon.' "That creature is nothing but dirt, clay and old bones held by that anger." I caught the faintest trance of distaste in his eyes. 'Damn.she must have pissed him off, to be showing that much emotion in his eyes.' "Should we follow her?" I asked. 'If she is an angry spirit now, maybe she knows what's going on here. Maybe she's leading us into a trap. I saw old blood on her clothes, but no signs of any injuries, old or new. She had to have some other purpose.' I glanced back at my Uncle again. "We should not follow her. She will be undoubtedly be leading us into a trap." I grinned. "But, dear Uncle, that is precisely why we should follow her!" Uncle Sesshomaru looked at me like I was insane. "If she's leading us, then it would be very rude of us not to join the party! If we are prepared for a trap, then we won't follow into the trap!" I announced happily. If he could have, my Uncle would have been rolling his eyes at me. As it was, he just looked at me. Unnerving to say the least.  
  
It wasn't very difficult to follow the dead priestess. Her trail was so clear that a baby could have followed it. Which made both of us even more wary. No one could leave this clear of a trail, with out it being on purpose. It was just way too easy to follow. Uncle Sesshie wasn't too happy with the decision, but since he didn't know where he was going he was following behind me. About 50 feet behind me to be exact. He really didn't want to be caught in a trap! Wherever it was that Kikyo was leading us, it was a long ways away! We had been traveling over rocky outcropping, thick forests, and wide rivers, which I had no idea HOW she crossed with out dripping at the other side. It was exhausting to say the least. But that wasn't the worst of it. The most nerve-wracking thing was the silence. When it got quiet when I was with the guys, I started to rib Hiei. That would cause all sorts of noise. But this was different. There was no way in Hell, no pun intended, that I could rib my Uncle. He would gut me even though I was family. No one ribbed the Lord of the Western Lands, or as was the case now, the former Lord of the western lands.  
  
It was clear that she knew where she was going. She was making faster tracks than we were. And we were just following after her! After about three hours of semi tracking, I was getting a little bit annoyed. And I think that Uncle Sesshomaru and I knew that I definitely was pissed at this dead chic. We stopped at a nearby river to rest. I didn't even dare drink from the water. Supposedly if you drink or eat from the underworld, then you become tied to it. I'm not sure if that was true, but now was not the time to test the rumor. So, I took some of the very few provisions left in my pack out. I offered some of it to my Uncle, but he dismissed it with a wave of his hand. He had been here long enough that he was tied at least slightly to this world. So he didn't even have to sweat about eating or drinking from here. I almost envied him. But I liked my home, despite the loneliness, and I wanted to return to it as soon as possible!  
  
It took us nearly 6 more hours to catch up to her. And she was just plodding onward even with both of us standing directly in front of her. She still had the vacant look in her eyes, but occasionally I could see the hatred showing through. Mostly when she saw me though. That is what I couldn't understand. Why would she hate someone who pulled her out of a torture room? I sure didn't know her. It was perplexing, especially since she would not say a single word. So, I let Uncle take care of handling her. He could be very very persuasive when he wished to be. While he was trying to get some information out of her, I sat down on a nearby boulder and thought. I wondered about Yusuke, Hiei, and most of all, Kurama. I wondered how they were, where they were and if I would ever see them again. I didn't think I would after this mission. They were the 'Great Spirit Detectives.' Why would they come and see a partially, human, partially demon priestess? The answer: No reason. And for some reason that bothered me. Why did I want them to stay around? I had been perfectly happy being alone at my shrine. I could be myself with out anyone being mean or rude about my mixed heritage. 'But', I mused, 'These boys accept me for who I am, not my blood like so many others.' I was snapped out of my musings when my uncle tapped on my shoulder and motioned that we were going to follow Kikyo. I don't know what he asked of her, or if she even answered him, but since he was following her already, I figured that he must have his reasons. Shrugging, I followed without complaint.  
  
It was near dusk, or what seemed to pass as dusk in this place, when we arrived at where ever we were going. My uncle hadn't said a single word to me since his talk with the priestess. It was unusual, but not that unusual. So I left it alone. Didn't want to get killed before I did what I came to do now did I? Nope! We entered a rather large clearing that seemed to not be touched by any light. Almost as if light could not touch this area. My sense as a priestess was screaming at me that there was danger here. I wouldn't be alive today if I ignored my senses when they told me of danger. And I wasn't about to start ignoring them now! I jumped a few feet in the air and landed on a low tree branch when a line swept below me. Where my feet would have been. It would have knocked me down if I had stayed still. And as that line passed, a net dropped down from the treetop. Now I was doubly glad that I listened to my senses. We had walked into a trap after all! I was about to shout to Uncle Sesshomaru, but I caught a greenish glint coming towards my right side. It looked almost like my Uncles poison whip, but he was on my side wasn't he?  
  
As I jumped away from that attack, I realized that he never said that he was on my side. He never really said anything to me regarding his actions. And now here I was with an enemy, who was my family, and another enemy who I knew nothing of except her name. Bad! Very bad! I was leaping from tree to tree, avoiding the whip and still trying to look out for any more traps. Where there was one, there would be others! Of this I was sure. I almost made it to the next tree when I felt another power speed towards me. This one wasn't friendly either. I turned aside my jump just in time to see an arrow imbed itself into the tree and explode. The wood shards rained upon me when I heard a low chuckle and a deep voice whispering through the darkness. "That's enough my loyal pets! I think she is done for now. Look how she trembles!" It was true. I was trembling. But it was an angry tremble, not one born of tiredness. I glanced around, trying to find the source of this new voice, but it only laughed at me. "Now I have the entire family!" He laughed maliciously. "How delightful." The only place that he could be hiding was inside the darkness in the center of the clearing, so rather than deal with the 'pets' that he had made out of my Uncle and the priestess, I rushed the darkness.  
  
It might have worked. If I had been faster. But as it was my Uncle was extremely faster than I was. He grabbed me and held fast around my arms as the priestess dragged herself up to me. She had an ofuda (SP?) out and charged. She placed it on my forehead and I froze. I could see, hear, feel, smell, but I could not move at all. 'Lovely' I thought to myself. 'I am well and truly caught now.'  
  
As I stared straight ahead, being unable to turn my head, the darkness thinned and a demon stepped out. He was slightly hunched over and he wore a baboon pelt to hide his identity. This demon I knew from the stories that Dad told me. 'Naraku,' the demon who tried to kill my grandparents many times over along with their friends and my Dad. This was going from bad to worse quicker than the desert heats up! "Now that you are here my dear," he whispered, "I can now proceed with my revenge against the family who destroyed me!" I had never been this afraid in my life. What was he going to do? Why did he mean the whole family? I was afraid that I knew. And now my only hope was Kurama and the others. Where were they?  
  
As if Naraku was reading my mind, he swept his arm to the remaining darkness. "If you wished for a rescue, then my dear, you will be sadly disappointed. The entirety of the dark was blown away by a non-existent wind. Six people were chained, gagged, and unconscious behind him. I knew five of them by sight, and one by description. Grandpa Inu-Yasha, Mom, Dad, Kurama, Yusuke, Hiei, I recognized. The other woman, who looked a lot like Kikyo, I knew had to be my Grandmother. Kagome.  
  
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WOW! My muse must be working over time! Coming up with all these awesome ideas! Or maybe, she's just trying to wheedle some Mountain Dew outta me? Oh, well. So, how did you all like this new chappie? Surprised at all? But is Fluffy really bad, or just being controlled? You'll just have to wait and see! Hopefully it won't take very long to get the next one written. I've been cooped up for an entire week, barring work. All I've had to do is clean my room, and write! So which one do you think I prefer? One guess. Now, my deal is, if I get no reviews for the new chapter, then I won't put another new one out! I don't care if you have reviewed before or not! Review now! That be an order! And a curse on you if you read this and submit no review! I want to know HOW many people like this story! I do accept anonymous reviews! SO there is nothing preventing any one from reviewing! Ok! I'm going to stop ranting now and say good bye! Buh Bye!  
  
Signing out ~ DevilWench ~ 


	17. Wakeing up

Chapter 16  
  
Sorry for the delay. I've been having to do a lot of stuff around here since I'm moving in a little while. I'm trying to get these out as soon as they come to me. ::smiles:: I hope you enjoy the rest of the chappie!!! ::smiles more::  
  
Thanks: Cheyo-Vera: You know why  
  
Disclaimer: Haven't I done enough of these yet? No? ::Grumbles:: I don't own any part of Inu-Yasha or Yu Yu Hakusho! Happy? You had better be!  
  
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I stared up at Naraku. Hatred was practically dancing in my eyes as I looked from him to the prone figures lying on the ground behind him. I still could not move, courtesy of the newly freed Kikyo. I watched as that vile evil demon waved a careless hand towards the others and myself. The seven of us were lifted somehow from the dying grass. The immense power that was used to lift all of us at once shot through my brain, and embarrassingly enough, I fainted.  
  
I awoke chained to a wall and gagged. Some of the others were awake as well. Yusuke looked like he was trying to cuss out Naraku, but his gag was preventing him from doing anything more than steam. Grandpa Inu-Yasha just hung there from his chains, glowering angrily at the demon he had supposedly killed many years ago. The woman who looked immensely like Kikyo turned her head slightly towards me so that our eyes met. When that happened, I could no longer see any resemblance to the accursed woman. Kikyo was cold, dead, silent and empty. This woman, Kagome, My grandmother, had soft gray eyes that shone with a goodness that only someone with a pure heart could possible have. If I didn't already know that she was dead, I would have thought that she was as alive as I am. Kagome smiled as warmly as she could since she was still wearing her gag.  
  
It took another half-hour for my mother, Kurama, and Hiei to wake up. Naraku didn't seem to be in any big hurry since we were left alone for a few hours. In fact, I think he was enjoying watching us begin to worry about what was going to happen to us. How evil could he get? Even with P.M.S. I never got THIS evil!!! I seriously wanted to just go find him and kick his scrawny ass to the next galaxy and back, then dismember him! Over board I'm sure, but right now, I didn't care. But to do what I wanted, I would have to be unchained first. And there were only three people in this room not chained. Naraku, and Kikyo of course, and Uncle Sesshomaru. Seeing him unchained and free, made my vision go red and my blood boil. 'How DARE he! How DARE he betray his own family! I though he was really in trouble back there! But it was only an act to get me to come here. Instead of being terrified of the person who had him chained above a lava pit, he was in league with him! It was infuriating! And from the look on Grandpa's face he was probably thinking along the same lines that I was! But what happened next was the real shocker. At least to me.  
  
The demon Naraku whispered something to my uncle. I didn't know what it was, but a few seconds later, it was apparent what had been said. Uncle Sesshomaru walked over to an empty set of chains and held his hands out as Kikyo bound him and then gagged him. He became as much of a prisoner as the rest of us. When Kikyo stepped back up to Naraku's side, my uncle's face seemed to snap up. Where as there didn't seem to be any emotion there before, there was a turbulence swirling in his golden orbs now. Hatred, anger, shame, loathing, and many more. It made me slightly unsure of what was happening. Maybe he had been under a spell or something. It made a little sense. He was acting normal when I found him, but after he had that talk with Kikyo, he had seemed slightly different. And with the powers I've already seen her display, I could believe that. Buy what if this was another trick? There had been so many played on all of us since coming here that it was sickening! "Now that I have all of you" Naraku began. "The ritual can begin!" With those words, Naraku left the chamber that we were all in. Kikyo also followed him out. If we were going to try to escape, now would be the perfect time! Now, how to get out of these chains?  
  
As it turned out, I wasn't the one to break the chains. Kurama used a plant seed to burst his chains open. He grabbed the keys from the far side of the wall and unlocked the rest of our chains. He paused for a few seconds when he was unlocking my chains. "I was worried about you" was all he said before going on to unchain the others. I felt really guilty. I didn't mean to make him worry about me. I wanted to blurt out that I was sorry, but it wouldn't be the proper time to say that. I stood there; rubbing my wrists where the chains had rubbed my skin raw while the others walked past me. Well, most of the others. My grandmother stopped next to me. She looked thoughtful. "He seems really nice. And definitely cute! And he seems to really care about you." The shock must have been written all over my face because she chuckled softly. "My dear granddaughter, it is by far easier to see that he loves you that it was to see that your grandfather loved me all those years ago. At least this guy doesn't seen as stubborn as Inu-Yasha!" I smiled at her while she patted my shoulder. "Let's get going. Your Grandfather will have a cow if we don't keep up!"  
  
This place was like a maze. Every new intersection had three more pathways coming from it. Even going in a straight line wasn't doing any good. It was almost like going in a circle, but we were going straight. I wasn't the only one who was getting frustrated. Grandpa, Yusuke, Hiei, and my mother were on the verge of bashing right through the walls. How the hell were we going to get out of here and Kick Naraku's sorry ass if we couldn't even get anywhere?  
  
~ Else where ~  
  
"Are they still looking for a way out?"  
  
"Yes"  
  
"Heh Heh Heh... This could prove to be more fun than I thought! They'll be going crazy very soon since there is no way out."  
  
"..."  
  
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And here I stop. For now. So what do you think? Should I continue? I want at least TWO reviews this time, or I won't post a new chappie! NYAAAA!!!!  
  
Signing out ~ DevilWench ~ 


	18. Round One: Begin

Chapter 17  
  
Wow! I got THREE reviews! That two more than I normally get! I'm so happy! Sorry these are taking longer than normally. But as I said earlier, we're moving and that means that I don't have much time now a days. Plus I have two jobs and a slight social life. I update ASAP!  
  
Thanks to:  
  
Cheyo-Vera: Here's the new chapter! Don't start the torture yet!  
  
Simply Hopless: Thanks for the review! ^.^8 Kuwabara got spit back out of the underworld back around chapter4...I may have him come back as a sacrifice thought! ::Smiles evilly at the thought::  
  
ElveNDestiNy: Thanks! ::Smiles happily::  
  
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We were wandering through the corridors for a few hours when Grandpa lost it. He, mom, Yusuke and Hiei all started bashing walls. Amazingly enough, they were as thin as paper and easily destroyed. I'm pretty sure that everyone was a bit abashed at how easy it was. I knew that I was. Heap bid me wanders around a paper maze. It must have pleased Naraku to no end. Probably Kikyo as well. That is if there was a person to amuse in there at all. But at least now we were getting somewhere. But I was still worried. It was almost too easy. If we escaped, we would be trapped in this maze, but this wasn't much for security. There should have been at least one guard. Idly I was following behind my grandparents, and overheard their conversation. "If they want out entire family" Kagome was whispering, "Then why do they want Shippo? He's not blood kin to us!" Grandpa seemed to think about this for a minute. "Well," he started, "All of us were like a family. Sango was like your sister, and Shippo was like your son." Kagome gasped. "If that's right then Sango and Miroku are in danger too! We have to find them!" I watched as Grandpa slung an arm over Kagome's shoulders and told her that they would find them no matter what.  
  
I thought on this for a minute. Aunt Sango and Uncle Miroku. They might be in danger too! I never got to meet them because they were as human as Grandmother Kagome, but I heard all the stories about them. I smiled, remembering how Dad would tell me of the monk's habits, namely grabbing Aunt Sango's behind. That would have been amusing, but seeing her smash him with her boomerang would have been even more entertaining! 'Even though this is supposed to be a dangerous mission and now something to look forward to, I am looking forward to this now! I may actually get to see then in person!'  
  
After we started breaking through the walls, some 'guards' came running to challenge us. But with Grandpa, Grandma, Yusuke, Hiei, Kurama, Mom, Uncle Sesshomaru, and myself, they were not even a smudge beneath out toes! And as it turned out, we actually were walking in circles. After we broke down most of the walls, we were in a circular room. A huge circular room to be exact. There were two doors. One was a closet that had cleaning supplies. Mostly blood remover. For a psychopath, he was remarkably cleanly! It was almost ironic!  
  
We never got to open the next door. It was blasted off its hinges as Grandpa was reaching for the handle. Standing just outside the room was the clay corpse herself holding her bow and arrows. I could feel the tension skyrocket in the room. I don't think anyone needed introductions. The only one in the room, the corpse excepted already, who did not show outright hatred for Kikyo was my Uncle. He had his cold mask back in place already. But I could see a hint of dislike in his normally cold eyes. 'WOW!' I thought. 'He must really hate her to show THAT much emotion!' I knew that she was the enemy, as well as I knew that she was very powerful. Otherwise Naraku wouldn't have her helping him. I didn't bother with weapons. She could break them easier that humans broke their nails. So I was going to use my claws. I knew mom and Grandpa would do the same. Grandpa didn't have his sword anymore. He didn't need it he was just that strong. Mom never had a weapon but her claws. Uncle Fluffy, Yusuke, Hiei, and Kurama would use what they always used. And Grandma Kagome would use her powers as a priestess. All eight of us were going to take on one dead priestess.. All eight of us were going to take on one dead priestess. Here went nothing, or everything. We had this in the bag. Right?  
  
Maybe not. Five of us charged Kikyo first. (A/N: that would be Alex, Inu- Yasha, Inu-Tasha, Sesshie, and Hiei) And all of us were blown back with a careless wave of her hand to slam into the far wall. Mom and Grandpa didn't get back up. Kagome ran over to her husband, and her daughter to make sure they were still alive. Since she didn't start crying, I was sure that they were ok. I heard Yusuke call out his attack and turned in time to see Kikyo dodge just in time to miss the edge of the powerful attack. She countered by using one of her arrows. It might have hit Yusuke and killed him, if it weren't for Grandma. She too had a bow in her hands. And in the wall opposite her, there was an arrow caught by another arrow imbedded in the wall. It exploded after a second, so I barely had time to register the sight. Now there was a gaping hole in the stone wall. The two priestess glared at each other while the rest of us who weren't unconscious started to surround Kikyo.  
  
At first, she didn't seem to notice that we were surrounding her. We were very wrong. She not only noticed us, but she was able to counter all of us by just using her power. All of us were thrown into the wall behind each of us. That was the second time that this happened. I was getting mad. Just trying to rush her was getting us nowhere. So maybe it was time to try a strategy. I signaled to Uncle to go first. Hiei got the message as well, and attacked a second after Sesshomaru did. I went a second after him. Uncle Sesshie was blown back almost immediately. But that meant that Hiei got a second to get closer to her. He almost got all the way to her, but she turned at the last moment and shoved him away with her power. While she was concentrating on him, I was able to get all the way up to her. By the time she noticed me, I had already inflicted some damage. I raked her from shoulder to lower back before she sent me flying! I got first blood on her! Hooray for me! At least this plan seemed to work. But it wouldn't work again now that she knew what we were doing. That is, unless she was very stupid and I doubted that. But whatever we came up with next, it would be a little easier since she was now wounded. This fight was looking in our favor now!  
  
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Ahh.short but interesting. Sorry it's so short, but that's all I want up this time! I thought that if I make it a cliffhanger I might get more reviews! This is my own test! I want THREE reviews this time! Or no new chapter! :p So you know what to do! Get to it! Muahahahahahah! ::Slinks away::  
  
Signing out ~ DevilWench ~ 


	19. Peace

Thanks to all who reviewed. I am disappointed at those who read and did not reviewed! Shame on you! I won't know you like the story unless you tell me!!!!!!! So review for now on!!!! BTW: I have no inspiration, but I'm trying anyways! Aren't I a good girl? ::Fake halo hangs over her head barely hiding the horns::  
  
Disclaimer: ::Shoots lawyers:: I own everything! ::More lawyers show up and die by gun:: I OWN EVERY THING IN THE WORLD! ::An army of lawyers show up:: This is getting ridiculous. Fine. I own nothing. It just felt good to say that I did! ^.^8 ::Lawyers leave:: Damn them all!  
  
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Kikyo's arm was dripping blood. It puddled on the ground beneath her, creating a glistening, garnet colored pool. Yet, even though it must have hurt tremendously, she showed no sign of pain on her stoic face. The only emotion that was even hinted showed in her nearly dead eyes. They showed her anger. But it did not seem to be directed at me, the person who hurt her. It seemed to be directed at my Grandparents. Shrugging I tried to come up with another plan of attack. The last one wouldn't work again. She knew about it and would just push us all away at the same time. And I really did not want to be shoved into the wall for a third time.  
  
As with many things so far in this journey, I was not the one who became the hero. I did not kill Kikyo. I wanted to! I really did! But Grandma got the honors. I guess you have to pit priestess against priestess to make one fall. It was fast. Even by demon eyes. She had her bow and an arrow gone from it before I could even blink! Now I'm not even sure if I got my speed from my demonic blood! She was just THAT fast! Kikyo seemed to just stare at the arrow protruding from her chest. Right where her heart should have been. I saw her glance up once from the deadly injury and smile at grandma. It was almost like she was saying 'Thank You'. It bothered me to see that. Why would someone as evil as her be trying to say thank you? Did that mean that she wasn't really evil? That she was just a pawn just as my uncle had been for a short while? Was this just a ruse set up by Naraku to test us? Was this whole journey to get here all it really was? Damn the corpse! Maybe this was just another power play by her to get us doubting ourselves. It would be far easier to kill us all when we're thinking that we just didn't do enough. That maybe she could have been saved.  
  
I was saved from my moral dilemma by my grandmother. She explained who exactly Kikyo was, and why she acted the way she did. I guess that being kept alive only by your hatred was not something that Kikyo ever wanted. That she was glad to return to her eternal rest. After hearing that, I felt calmer about her death. We had done her a favor by destroying that clay body that imprisoned her. We were on our way out the door shortly after Kikyo's death. My grandparents were the only ones beside myself who seemed even slightly upset over Kikyo's death. I heard them say a quiet goodbye to her as they left the circular room.  
  
We were almost frantically searching for the rest of our 'Family'. If Grandpa was right, then Aunt Sango, and Uncle Miroku were also here and also in danger. Hiei was still complaining. 'Why should we worry about these pathetic humans anyway?' I had smacked him for that one. I had two reasons to do so anyway. First, The majority of us were al least part demon. The second was that Boton had said to rescue as many people as possible. So this was actually part of his mission anyway. Why should he complain? Yusuke wasn't complaining quiet as much, but he kept mumbling something about how Naraku wouldn't come face him. The Coward! Kurama hadn't said anything, but he had grabbed my hand as we were leaving the room, and he hasn't let go yet. It almost made me blush. I was definitely a romantically inept person. Mom was just being quiet. I knew that was bad, but at least I knew the reason. She missed Dad. I could see it in her eyes. Grandma and Grandpa saw it too and decided not to say anything. And besides worrying over their daughter, grandma and grandpa were just dandy! They were holding hands and leaning into each other. It was adorable!  
  
I don't know if it was fate of just plain old good luck, but we found both Sango and Miroku with in the hour. They were chained up in different rooms, but they were close together. Both were tied up the same as we were. So, it didn't take long for them to be set free. It was memorable to see them. I had known about them, but I had never seen them. They looked just as they had been described to me. And their attitudes were slightly mellower than I had been led to believe. But I could see why Miroku had been called perverted. The first thing he did when he saw Sango, was to grope her butt. And for that, she smacked him. They greeted both my grandparents like old friends, which was appropriate since they were old friends. And they then hugged my mother as if she was family. Uncle Sesshomaru, they regarded with cool, detachment. When they turned to me, I don't think they knew what to do. Well, they weren't the only ones. Should I hug them, or shake their hands? I have never met these people, but they were family. But Sango took care of that. She hugged me. "You're related to Kagome so you're part of the family!" I smiled slightly. Maybe this wasn't such a bad rescue mission after all. But I still haven't gotten what I came for. Dad. I found all these other people though.  
  
Sango and Miroku didn't have any weapons, and since they were human, that was really bad. So the first thing we did when we encountered a few more guards, was we stripped them of their weapons. Some of them were poor quality and were discarded immediately. Sango finally settled on a sword and some daggers. Miroku took a metal staff. He was a monk, so weapons with sharp edges were a no-no. Now that they had weapons, we could resume our search with out the worry that we would have to protect them. Hiei was against taking them along at first, but when Sango shoved him against a wall with her new sword to his throat, he backed down. Miroku simply smirked at the exchange. It probably wasn't anything new to him.  
  
We searched for hours. Room after room full of dead ends and more passageways that had us all turned around. It was like being in a labyrinth. We tried knocking the walls down, but they were solid stone. We didn't even put a crack in it. So we had to continue onward. Grandpa and Uncle Sesshomaru were sniffing around the air to see if they could catch a scent of either Dad, or Naraku. I don't think Fluffy was searching for Dad though. And he gave every impression of not helping sniff out either person. He just can't give up the impression of the great Demon Lord that he used to be! I shook my head slightly. He was even more stubborn than Grandpa! It was kinda sad. When it appeared to be night outside, and when most of us were exhausted, we paused to get some rest. We sat along both sides of the hallway. If anyone tried to get to us, we would be in a better defensive position than the cretins who were trying to get at us would be. It wasn't a comfortable sleep, but it did the job. When I woke back up, I was more rested than I was the day before. It was a start. We had to find Naraku today. It would drive us all mad if we had to stay around here wandering around lost. I suggested that instead of killing the next guard, we follow him. He more than likely would know the way out of here, and maybe it would know where Naraku was hiding. They considered this and after maybe a second of thought, they agreed. Now came the hard part. Finding a guard. We killed over a dozen already! How many were there left? Good Question. We were going to find out.  
  
We had another stroke of good luck. We only had to wait three ours before finding a guard. The really hard part was to follow him and not be seen. I mean there are ten of us now! Somehow we would manage.  
  
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Well? Review please! If I don't get at least two reviews, I really won't continue this fic. I mean it this time. If no one reads it then there is no point in me continuing. SO if you really want to read more hit the purple review button at the bottom of the page. Thanks  
  
Signing Out ~ DevilWench ~ 


	20. Confessions

Chapter 19 Confession  
  
Thank You Cheyo-Vera, Harmony, and CMD for reviewing. Since I got the two I wanted, I guess I'll write the next chappie! I got plenty of sugar in me now! I got Cheesecake!!!!! YUMMMMMMMYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!  
  
Disclaimer: ::Posts a legal Paper to her forehead saying ' I do not own anything relating to Inu-Yasha (Barring the Manga) and Yu-Yu Hakusho (Barring the DVD's) Signed: DW':: Take that you Dam^ Lawyers!!!!!!  
  
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We were able to follow the guard around with out being spotted for about an hour. And it seemed that he was just as lost as we were. But, in the hopes of getting out of this maze, we continued to follow him. After another two hours, it seemed that he was not in fact lost, just following a pre-determined route as patrol. I was thinking to my self as we followed him out the exit, how stupid he must be to let 10 people follow him with out his knowledge. Miroku even sneezed once for heavens sake! And the stupid git never even batted an eye! Maybe he was deaf or something? You never could tell with all these new minions and their movement for Minion rights! (A/N: You can tell I'm hyper right now can't you? ::Grins maniacally::) He exited after we had been following him for nearly 4 hours. We spent nearly a third of out day following a minion to get out of a stone maze...how ...interesting. And lucky us, he finally turned around and spotted us! But instead of panicking, he grinned! Like he knew some great joke and wasn't going to tell us!  
  
"Gotcha ya!" He yelled. And about 50 Demon minions jumped on us. They must have underestimated us. Really underestimated us. All the minions were dead in 5 minutes flat. It was really pathetic. Especially for a 'Demon Master' as Naraku was mutely trying to claim. If he was powerful enough to capture all of us with out really even trying, then what was with the weak attacks? Was he trying to tire us out? Make us complacent? Delay us? What was he trying to do? It was infuriating to say the least! But at least we could navigate properly now that we were out of the maze. There is always a plus side to everything. I didn't think that men/ demons coming to my shrine was anything good. Normally it was just annoying, but this time it turned out to be fun! I haven't smiled this much since Grandpa died! And right now, said grandfather was talking everyone but me. I didn't really care what they were planning, I just wanted to kick Naraku's @$$! Even thought it has been fun, he still kidnapped my Dad! He would pay for that! I felt a hand settle on my shoulder. I glanced up at Kurama. "How are you holding up?" I grinned. "Nothing's got me down yet!" He smiled. God, how gorgeous he was when he smiled! It wasn't fair! Guys should not be prettier than girls! Not THAT much prettier! In spite of myself, I grinned again. HE looked at me quizzically, but I just shook my head. That was something he didn't need to know.  
  
We, or should I say, everyone else decided to split up and methodically search the castle. When I asked how would we keep in touch, Grandpa just grinned. "Yell" he said. I grinned back at him. That was my grandpa! We were split into pairs. Grandpa and Grandma. Miroku and Sango, although Sango protested a little bit. Yusuke went with Hiei, since no one else could stand the pipsqueak. Mom went with Uncle Sesshomaru and Kurama and myself was the last pair. I think some one cough cough Kagome, was trying to set me up! Oh, well. At least I get to spend some time with the gorgeous Kitsune!  
  
We split at a five-way corridor. Each pair taking a different path. (A/N: Well, Duh!) But it wasn't really a five-way path because Kurama and I ran back into Yusuke and Hiei. I hid a grin at how grumpy Hiei was. It was almost like how it was traveling with them when we started this rescue mission. It was annoying. "Why do we have to go along with everything that that dog demon says? How do we know that he isn't part of this Narku's plan?" Hiei was saying. I inhaled sharply. "How dare you insult my grandfather you moron!" I hissed at him. "You should pay attention to him because both he, my grandmother, Sango and Miroku have fought with him before. And they beat him too!" Hiei just muttered something to himself. I knew it wasn't something nice that he had said so I glared at him. And I prayed that we came upon another branch soon or I was going to flip out and strangle him! And as annoying as he was, I knew we would need his help later on. So, getting away from him was a good idea! And to make matters worse, Yusuke had only been grinning with his hands jammed in his jacket at our verbal battle. I glared at him too. "What?" I growled. "No one has ever been able to get him THAT unnerved since he first met me! I'm impressed!" I smirked a little bit and sauntered ahead of three males.  
  
It wasn't that far to the next split in the corridor. I told Yusuke "Later" and started walking down the corridor that Kurama and I chose. He took longer than I did saying good bye. He just HAD to say 'Good Bye' to Hiei. I knew that that wasn't really fair. They are friends after all. I should lighten up. 'Nah' I decided after a seconds thought. These verbal battles are too much fun! I slowed my pace just a little to allow Kurama to catch up with me easily. Nothing was said for a few minutes. And I was the one who broke the silence first. "Why do you do this?" I asked him. He looked at me confused. "Do what?" he asked me. I looked at him. "Why do you have a job that helps humans and destroys demons? Most people would think that that is not an honorable thing to do..." He glanced at me and I thought I could see regret tingeing his face. "I did not take this job because I wanted to. It was either this, or...prison" The last word he said so softly that I almost didn't hear it. "Prison?" I asked. He looked ashamed. "I was a thief before I meet Yusuke. And Before that, I was a full- blooded Kitsune. I wasn't a nice person. I didn't care about anyone but myself." I glanced at him. He looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn't quite find the words. Admitting something like that was difficult. I admit that I had my years like that. So I did the only thing I knew of to give him the strength to continue. I grasped his hand and lightly squeezed it. He looked shocked for a split second, but then he smiled at me. "Thank you. I guess I needed that." I smiled back at him in reassurance. "A while back, when I broke into a heavily guarded vault, I was wounded by a spirit detective. The only way for me to survive was to meld with a human. So, I melded with an un-born human baby. I thought by the time my new body had grown up, my powers would be back at full strength and I could just leave. But then my human mother fell ill. It was then that I realized that because I was part human, I could feel remorse and guilt. So, I joined up with Hiei, who is also here instead of in prison, and helped him and another demon, who is now dead, break into Koenma's (SP?) Vault. WE took the three magical dark items. Hiei got the sword, I took the mirror, and the other one took the orb. After I had gotten the Mirror of the Forlorn Hope, I parted company with the other two. The Mirror will grant anyone a wish on the full moon in exchange for the wisher's own life. I used my wish to save my mother. But because of Yusuke, I did not die. He jumped in and wished that he switch with me so that my mother wouldn't have to go through the pain of losing her son. Because of that, we were both spared. And because I gave myself in, I was given the option to serve my sentence as a detective for the spirit world." I gaped at him as he finished his tale. I wouldn't look at him though. I knew that his eyes would be pleading with me to say that it was all right. And if I looked into those beautiful eyes, I knew that I would agree to anything. I answered the unspoken question before I looked at him. "I don't really care about what you did in the past. That is why it IS the past. But if you think that you must punish yourself for it, then you just feeling guilty over what you did is more than enough. It means that you wouldn't ever do that again." I then looked at him. His eyes were shining with happiness. "Thank You" He whispered. "It means a lot to me that you would put such thought into your answer and that you answered truthfully." My heart sunk a little lower as he said that. 'He only likes me for my level headedness' I frown tugged at my lips, when he continued. "Thank you for caring. It is easier to accept things if the person you care about accepts it knowingly. " My heart would have leapt into the sky if it was there, but it settled for the top of my throat. 'He likes me!'  
  
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OK! Done for now! How you people like it? REVIEW PLEASE and tell me! I want three reviews now! I got three for the last one, so I want three for this one as well! If I don't get them, you don't get a new chappie! NYA!!!! =P  
  
Signing Out ~ DevilWench ~ 


	21. What was Lost, is Found

Chapter 20  
  
Thank You: Inu-Ice-Dragon, starkitty, sahar369, and Cheyo-Vera! ::Hugs all:: Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! I Luves you all!  
  
A/N: Not sure when I'll be able to update next, but I'll work on it A.S.A.P! Thanks! AND............ Hopefully the climax is coming up! I'm just writing this as it comes! So I may put another side track in this or just go to the end! =P  
  
Disclaimer: ::Shoots self in head:: There! Dead people can't own anything! That should answer your question! Now go away! ::Revives self:: Nyaaa!!!  
  
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After his confession, we walked in silence. Neither of us was willing to break the silence. It wasn't too bad anyway. It was semi-comfortable. Even when we ran into some of the guards, it wasn't a problem. We split the number of the guards in half and easily killed them all. We had been searching the corridors for my Dad for about two hours. I was praying that one of the others found him. I shuddered to think what he had been put through by now. I remembered how he was taken through the gate. He was grabbed just like I was by those tendrils that burned like dry ice. Just from my slight exposure it had hurt a LOT! Dad had been in its grip for longer.  
  
I was amazed at how large this castle was. With all of us wandering around in pairs, we still managed not to run into each other! Most, if not all of the levels we came through to get here were this large! Then again, maybe we were just stuck in another loop like the one where we faced off against Kikyo. While looking at the walls, I decided to myself that we weren't going in circles. All the walls looked different. Some were just the pale gray stone, and others looked as if they were made out of cement. And others still were wooden. They areas with the pale gray stone were like European Castles, and the wooden areas were Old Style Japanese castles. If this weren't the hideout of one of the most Heinous evil entities in existence, I'd have to admire his sense of décor! But good décor, or no, he was going to get a major @$$ kicking when I found him!  
  
We searched for about another half-hour when Kurama held his hand up so that I would stop. We were still in the wooden section of the castle. Wordlessly, he pointed to a door just beyond him. Then he pointed to his ear and motioned for me to listen. I laid my ear gently to the wood so that I could hear better. At first, I could hear nothing. Then as I concentrated more, I could hear slight sounds coming from the other side. I heard a low chuckle that sounded obscenely like Naraku's! I could feel my blood start to boil at the sound of that odious creature. It wasn't until Kurama put a finger to my lips that I realized that I had started to growl. Shocked, I stopped immediately and grinned apologetically at him. He shook his head and started listening again. I followed suit and concentrated more than ever. I could hear him mumble something about a ceremony, the number two, and midnight. The he laughed. It was the most evil sound that I had ever heard. It sent cold shivers down my spine and I hugged myself for some warmth. Try as I might, I could hear nothing more but the creak of a door being opened. It was too far away a sound to be this door, so there must have been another door in the room. When I had heard it close, I made to open the door, but Kurama stopped me within centimeters of the handle. I glared at him but he only signaled for me to be quiet as he used one of his powers to open the door. There was a flash, and the handle melted off, taking along the plant that he had used. If it weren't beneath my dignity, my jaw would have been on the floor. That could have been my hand! "Thanks" I whispered to him while we cautiously slipped into the room. "It was nothing" He whispered back.  
  
What I saw in that room, I knew, would drive me to have nightmares for months, if not years! My Brave, happy, carefree, and lately drunk, father was hanging from heavy silver chains. He looked even worse than when I saw him at the gate beneath Uncle Sesshomaru's house. His Hair, now out of its ribbon, was dangling lank and ratty around his shoulders. His body was covered in so many cuts that it was a miracle that I even saw him breath! His clothing was torn to shreds and parts of them lay in heaps on the floor. Blood, the liquid dark ruby, ran down his arms and his legs. The brownish-red of old blood caked almost every inch of him. What horrified me the most was the state of his hands and his feet. Both of his hands had been slashed open, revealing the bones beneath the skin. Even for a Demon, it would take a very long time to heal. And his feet, Dear God! There was no skin left on them. All that was left was red pulsing meat. He would never be able to stand. And that had probably been the point. I knew it wouldn't help, but right then I wanted to start crying.  
  
I ran over to my Dad as fast as I could. And as gently as possible, I lifted his head up so I could see his face, which had been down cast. It was like the rest of him, cut, torn and caked with blood. "Dad?" I whispered softly. "Dad? Can you hear me? DAD! Wake up!" He didn't even stir once. I turned to Kurama. "Find the others! NOW!" I hissed at him. "I'm staying. I'm going to try and wake him up." When I saw his apprehension, I added softly, "Please. It might be better if he saw me first." He reached out as if to grip my shoulder, then nodded and quietly left, leaving me with a father who was on the verge of death and one other person who neither of us had seen.  
  
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Sorry for the short chappie, but I'm still running in a slump. I want at least three reviews! Same as last time people! Thanks!  
  
Signing Out ~ DevilWench ~ 


	22. NOT HIM AGAIN!

Chapter 21  
  
Hey all! Like I said in me Bio, I'm in the process of moving. Going out of state! Gods, what a hassle! So, updates may be few and far between for a while. And they're going to be short! Suffer! Besides, you're lucky that you're getting an update THIS quick! It's all pack this, hold that. Get out all the clothes you want till we get our stuff...blah! Fell Grateful and no flames! ::Glares:: And on to the Thank You's! Yippee!  
  
Thank You:  
  
Bomhammer: I would make my chapters longer if, 1.) I had time, 2.) I had a muse not on vacation, 3.) If I got more reviews! =P  
  
Bob no Saru: You'll just have to wait and see! Hee hee hee! =P  
  
Bartor530: Squirrels with flame-throwers? I want one!!!  
  
Disclaimer: Do I have to? Darn! I don't own the rights to ANY anime! Now go away and leave me to sulk!  
  
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At first I just stood there. I had never dealt with getting a torture victim down when he had THIS much damage. Then again, the only time I had ever come close to a torture victim, was when they needed healing. After a few seconds of thinking, I gently pried open the silver manacles, and as Dad slumped to the ground, I caught him before his feet could touch the floor. I laid him out as gently as I possible could and I winced when his poor feet even lightly touched the cold hard stone floor. I called up a small portion of my miko powers to try and heal his feet at least partially. (A/N: I'm not sure if this was mentioned earlier, but since Alex has all of Kagome's powers, she should be able to heal, since I heard that Kagome could do that too.....if not, oh well. Suffer. This is my story! =P ) But most of my healing comes from the herbs that I find around my shrine, so I could only do so much. Maybe Grandma Kagome could do something more for him.  
  
He started to wake up as I was dribbling some water down his throat. He coughed and moaned slightly. He blinked tired reddish brown eyes at me. But it seemed as if he didn't recognize me at first. Then his eyes widened in shock. It looked like he was going to try and talk, but I put my hand over his mouth to prevent him. We sat in virtual silence for a few seconds before I heard a sound. It was the sound of cloth being dragged along the floor. I froze, thinking that it might be Naraku, or something equally bad news, but when I finally turned my head around I grimaced. It was much worse than Naraku. Much much worse.  
  
It was a severely injured, blue school uniform wearing, red haired idiot. What in the seven hells did I do to deserve this? He had an insane look on his face (A/N: Like the one where he's thinking about Yukina. Bleah!) I gave him a look of pure disgust, and thankfully he fell down and knocked himself out. My luck was looking back up! And even more so when Kurama raced back into the room with Sesshomaru, my mother, and my grandmother. When mom saw how badly dad was doing she practically shoved me across the room. Sesshomaru, when he saw the damage that dad had sustained, turned ever so slightly greenish. Kurama, being the nice guy that he is, was checking on the idiot passed out on the floor. My grandmother was on the opposite side of my mother. I knew from the glow that she was trying to heal him. If anyone could do that, she could. When Kurama left the idiot, I went over and asked him where my grandpa was. "He said that he was going to go find Yusuke and Hiei as well as Miroku and Sango." I nodded my head. Get the help her now, find all non-essential personnel later. Very non-pig headed of grandpa. We stood against the wall while grandma worked on my Dad. I could see already that her power was taking effect. New skin was covering his feet and lower legs. And his hands were healed enough that mom was holding on to one of them lightly.  
  
After about a half-hour, everyone was gathered inside the room, and dad was almost healed as much as possible. When Grandma had finished healing dad, both mom and I hugged him almost to death. Then mom proceeded to scold him for being so careless and so mopey after her death. And for drinking so much. I had to grin. It was almost like old times. Except we were in a dungeon, possibly surrounded by evil people bent on destroying us, and somewhere close was an uber bad guy who already admitted that he was trying to destroy us. Fun fun. While dad was talking to mom and grandma, the rest of us turned to the really stupid person in the room. "It's got to be a demon!" Aunt Sango hissed. "It's too ugly to be anything else!" The rest of us grinned. "Sorry Aunt Sango. He's human. A stupid ugly weak human though." "But how did he get here?" Hiei asked to no one in particular. I thought about it for a second.  
  
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^ Flashback ^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^  
  
As the tendrils from the gate in Uncle Sesshomaru's basement grabbed us all and pulled us all into the gate itself, I noticed that we thankfully were short one person. One Kuwabara. I remembered that it had grabbed his as well, but then threw him against a wall, almost as if just touching him was pure disgust for the gate.  
  
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^ End Flashback ^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^  
  
And to my knowledge he was supposed to still be there. But apparently I was wrong about that. And now I was bound and determined to get some answers. So, I pulled a grandpa. I went over to the unconscious idiot and started kicking him in the ribs. The only reaction from anyone in the room was Kurama raising an eyebrow. I raised my own in response. I smirked as he broke into a small grin. Score one for Alex!  
  
It took us about 10 minutes of rib kicking to wake the dim wit up. And unfortunately, he sat up facing me and started breathing on me. He needed a breath mint in a bad way! And wouldn't you know it? The first words out of his mouth were "Huh? Where am I?" I rolled my eyes and walked over to stand next to Kurama. Away from the idiot and his horrid breath. I had the fun of kicking him to a waking state, and now someone else gets to interrogate him.  
  
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Go away! You got an update far sooner than I thought possible! Be happy and Review! Maybe I'll forgo sleep and write a bit more! If not, then feel free to wonder what the next chapter will be like! ::Glares:: THREE REVIEWS! That's all I want! THREE! If I get more, then I'll update faster! Any who...I swore that I would finish this story. I keep promises. I just never put a time frame on the last chapter, or how well it will be done. That all depends on you! The dear reviewers! SO get busy!  
  
Signing out ~ DevilWench ~ 


	23. Onward

I'm Baack!! Sorry for not updating sooner, but it has been a very hassled end of year! First we move out of state and my computer is packed away, then not even two weeks later, my grandmother kicks the bucket! Helping to deal with all the stuff you got to deal with when someone dies is a pain! Funeral arrangements, moral support, going through the house! My Grandmother was a Packrat!!!! We filled a roll off dumpster and it looked like we didn't even touch her house! Then o month later when we finally get back, my computer has been re-packed and buried under other heavy boxes! I just got it out today and assembled it! So here I am! Typing away for all you people who still want the next chapter!  
  
And Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter! I lost my sheet with all the names, but you know who you are! ^.^8  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned something of this magnitude, why do I have a '97 piece of crap that has the nerve to be called a computer? ::Fumes::  
  
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(Some time has passed since last time)  
  
Out in the hall, Mom was supporting Dad while Grandma Kagome was healing most of his injuries. But she said that it would take time to fully heal. It would be difficult for him to walk and to safely hold onto things. I guess that means no more beer for a while! When he woke up, he looked shocked to see us all, but he didn't say anything to anyone. But with Mom and Grandma there, I figure it only will be a matter of time before he tells them at least. Grandpa Inu-Yasha, as well as Sango, Miroku, Yusuke and Hiei were leaning up against a wall trying not to get in the way. Grandpa was scowling like there was no tomorrow. Uncle Sesshomaru was just standing in the middle of the hall, but away from everyone else. Kurama was standing next to me, which I guess would explain the scowl coming from. The baka was still lying in a broken heap on the floor in the room where we left him. The only thing he told us during the info beating session was that some strange guy in a monkey suit had grabbed him after we had already been sucked into the gate. Grandpa Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes at the bakas description of Naraku. It was a baboon pelt not a suit!  
  
We were debating weather or not to take the baka with us or leave him to his stupidity. My vote? Leave him. I still remembered how he was so kill- demon happy when he had first seen me. I could hold a grudge when I wanted to. Kurama, although he said he didn't wish to have the 'mentally inferior' person along. It would be foolish to just leave him here for our enemies to find. He knew how many of us there were, and a lot of our fighting styles. I sighed. He was right. I hated that he was right. So we took him with us. And the lucky person who got to baby-sit him? Hiei of course! An unenviable task for the hot tempered jerk. The only reason he wasn't complaining, well, not much at least, was that if the baka made a sound, any sound, real or not, Hiei could punch him where ever he wanted to. And so like that, we traversed the halls in search of Naraku and a way out of this hell. Pun intended! It was becoming way too depressive here. But at least I got to see my Mom and Grandpa again. And I get to see my Grandmother for the first time! I like her. I can see why Grandpa Inu-Yasha married her. Even Hiei was less of a jerk when she was around. She was something all right!  
  
It amazed me at the apparent size of Naraku's castle. IT had magic rooms and elegant halls. 'As well as working torture rooms' I thought to myself darkly. If this place wasn't so evil, it would be a beautiful place!  
  
As with our search last time, we wandered for quite a while. But unlike last time, we had plenty of entertainment. Apparently, a whole lot of Naraku was here. Kanna with her mirror wasn't too much of a problem, but we did have to retrieve someone's soul from her. That person would like to remain nameless.*Cough cough Kuwabaka Cough cough* But the rest of us were able to subdue her with no problem, and broke her mirror. I just wish we didn't have to break the mirror. That's the only reason the baka got his back. He was so much nicer when he didn't have his soul. He didn't talk at all, and we could have left him behind! We didn't kill Kanna. To kill someone they needed two things that she didn't have. One, a heart. Naraku had that. We couldn't fault her for trying to keep herself alive. Two, they have to actually be alive. If you kill Kanna, a resident of hell, where's she gonna go? Answer: Hell. Right back here. So killing her was pointless. So, all we did was tie her up tightly and left her in a room, tied again to a support pole. And we thought about remembering where it was that we tied her up at, in case she can't get out of the bindings in a few days. We weren't that cruel to leave her tied up for all eternity.  
  
After the battle with the child-like demon, I noticed a change in the baka. I'm not sure if any of the others noticed it, so I kept my mouth shut. No need to worry the others until I was sure myself. But the baka was entirely too quiet. Hiei, before was hitting him almost every minute and he wasn't taking any free shots. And now in the past hour, if he hit him twice, I'll eat one of my arrows.when I get some more anyway. Surely Hiei must have noticed, but then again, maybe he's just ecstatic not to hear the bakas grumbling to notice that he hasn't made any noise. Because of this perpetual silence, I almost yelped when Kageromaru (SP?) and his brother Jeromaru(SP?) crashed in from the ceiling, both behind and in front of us. We were surrounded. I was disgusted by the little one. He was just gross. But I had seem many things worse than him, so I could deal with him. With as many people that we had with us, it made fighting in the hall very difficult. Sango, Miroku, Grandpa Inu-Yasha and Yusuke took the larger of the brothers. (A/N: Sorry, I don't know which is which. I don't have any of my stuff with me to find out either! I'll fix it ASAP) Yusuke, Sesshomaru, Kurama and myself took out all our frustrations on the small ugly brother. But damn if the little guy wasn't fast. One second he's twenty feet in front of me, and the next thing I know, he's right behind me and my arm has a nice long gash in it. How I hated that turnip. Though what he did next kind of made me smile. He chomped down on drumstick a la baka. It must have tasted bad because he didn't stay locked on his leg very long. Maybe 3 seconds tops. Then he flopped on the ground and it looked like he was gagging. Yep. He was. I guess the baka wasn't tasty. I almost grinned at the pathetic sight. I did however grin as Uncle Sesshomaru and Kurama whipped him to pieces. I turned over to Yusuke to see how they were doing with their end, and Yusuke flashed me the thumbs up. The larger of the brothers was lying in a shredded mess. And to top off the whole thing, no one was hurt except the baka and me. Grandma Kagome was trying to help him, but either she was too tired from fighting Kikyo and healing Dad, or the baka couldn't be healed. Kagome was looking very tired, so maybe she just didn't have the energy. So we used the old fashioned way to bandage someone. We tore a strip off some shirts and wrapped then around his leg. I think I got the better end of the deal. Kurama, nearly shirtless, was helping me bandage my arm. I couldn't wrap it one handedly, so he was wrapping it for me, as well as placing some herbs in with the wrapping to help my arm heal faster.  
  
As we started on our way again, I again thought about how silent the baka had been. During the entire fight he had not uttered one sound. So I leaned over towards Kurama and asked him if he sensed anything strange about the baka. I told him that he was being far too quiet. Kurama listened and nodded. "Yes, that is strange" he said. The he leaned over to first Yusuke and then to Hiei. Both started frowning. No one said anything to any of the others. They wouldn't notice if he was being quiet or not. And we all didn't want to worry them yet, just in case the idiot was being smart for once.  
  
We had walked only a few more paces after our little chat when another incarnation of Naraku appeared. Kagura. Her fan obscured almost all of her face. Only her dark red eyes were visible. What was strange was that they didn't hold any hatred or malice in them. They didn't hold any emotion in them. They were solidly blank. Almost as if no one was home. When she raised her fan to attack us, it was as if she were nothing more than a puppet being pulled by strings. Her movements were wooden and stiff. It made dodging her attacks very easy. But from the huge chunks that her attacks were taking out of the walls, if you were hit directly, you would probably be dead, if you weren't already. With the way she was fighting, it should have been easy to take her out, but in the confines of the hall, it made advancing towards her very difficult. Kagura's attacks, while not very accurate, were becoming very large. When Grandpa yelled at me to get out of the hall, I didn't really fuss about it. There were too many people in the hall as it was. So I shoved my pride where the sun don't shine, and hid back with Dad. But I did watch the battle from around the corner. Now that there were less people, only Grandpa, Uncle Sesshomaru, Hiei and Yusuke were still fighting. The rest of us were around corners or behind the rubble that Kagura's attacks created. Kaguras herself was taking some hits, but it seemed that she had found some grace. She was dodging most of the attacks that they were sending at her. But the few attacks that got through were taking their toll. Blood was running in rivulets down her pale skin, staining her kimono. Uncle Sesshomaru used his claws to cleave her in two. She fell, silent, to the floor. Her blood pooling about her body and expanding outwards, towards us.  
  
We had to walk through her blood to continue on, so we left a trail of bloody footprints behind us. The Baka was slumped like a rag doll as Hiei was dragging him through the blood. It was disturbing to see some of Kaguras blood pool slightly in his hands. Questions were plaguing my mind about his attitude, or lack there of. Why did Naraku bring him? I glanced back down at the person in question. My eyes widened lightly. His hands. They showed no signs at all of even touching any blood. And just a minute ago, Kagura's blood was pooled in them. This was getting stranger by the moment!  
  
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Here ends another Chappie. So what's the deal with the Baka? You'll just have to stay tuned! There are big nasty plans for him! Muahahahahaahahah! See Ya laters!  
  
Signing out ~DevilWench~ 


	24. Revelations

Chapter 23: Revalations  
  
It's me! DW! I'm back with another thrilling chapter!  
  
There's a rainbow in the sky! Make a wish!  
  
You know, I made a mistake in the early chapters.........I had Alex wearing a halter top, then I had her pull her stilettos out from her sleeves. Halter tops don't have sleeves. So, she has then stashed in her boots. They're tall enough to hold them! If I get the chance, I'll go back and fix that and all the spelling mistakes that spell check didn't catch!  
  
Thanks to:  
  
arata_priestess: You got to keep reading to find out the deal with the baka!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't even own the computer I'm working on, so how can I own something as wonderful as Kurama, much less the whole show! Or even Inu- Yasha! Taka a hike Lawyers!  
  
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Out of sheer curiosity, I asked what time it was. Everyone gave me a confused look. But thankfully, Yusuke had a watch. "Keiko(SP?) makes him wear it" Kurama murmured into my ear. I grinned. "It's 10:30pm" he told me. I frowned. Something was nagging at me about midnight. It was only an hour and a half away. Things just weren't adding up here. Pointless attacks by dozens of low powered demons, single attacks by powerful demons, then there was the whole problem with Kuwabaka and the disappearing blood, and now I had a bad feeling that we were running out of time. "Hey, Kurama," I whispered over. "Does midnight ring any bells to you?" He frowned in concentration. "It does, but I can't remember why it would." "Hmm" I replied, feeling a pit in my stomach. Dad was glancing around, as if everything was a dream. I sided over to him to see if I could get any answers. I doubted that I would, but where's the harm in trying? "Hey dad?" He glanced back at me as if first seeing me. "Dad, do you know anything about anything happening at midnight?" It looked as if he actually was going to answer, but then Kuwabaka started thrashing and screaming like there was no tomorrow. I grimaced. With all that noise, every demon in this place would know where we were. "Midnight........." I heard whispered. I cast a startled glance at my Dad. "There's going to be a ceremony at midnight" He whispered hoarsely. "Dad! What about the ceremony? Do you know anything about it?" I was whispering hurriedly. He glance at me with haunted eyes. "He wants all your powers." Everyone not dealing with the baka had noticed by now that Dad was talking and they were all listening in. "Dad? Why? What is he going to use them for? How do you know what he's planning?" He glanced around with his pain filled eyes. "He liked to talk during torture........." I felt horrible. I didn't really want to know, but I needed to, and I think I caused more pain for my Dad. But he continued anyway. "He needs all your powers to escape from here, to return to the living world. He's using that boy over there" he pointed over to the baka, "as the catalyst. He needed to corrupt an uncorrupted soul." I glanced around, not sure who really to look at. Most everyone had the same look on their face. Horror. I didn't think anyone would be capable of something this grandiose, but if the stories were true, then this demon would be able to. It was just mind boggling at the extent of his plans. He meant for all of us to be here at this time. He was just delaying us until it was time for the ceremony. It accounted for the hoards of low level demons, and the feeling that we were running out of time. But it still didn't explain why the more powerful demons attacked us. As I pondered that last thought, those fights seemed to take on an unusual quality. That little demon that bit him. He was powerful up until he bit the baka. I had taken it that he tasted awful, but that wouldn't account for the power drop. Unless he gave it to the baka. I glanced over to the baka. I tried sensing his power casually, but I couldn't even sense his spirit energy. So I did a deeper probe, and it made me sick. I felt a huge bundle of demonic energy. Three different types of demonic energy. One was the energy from the ugly little guy, one felt a little bit like the wind, which would account for the blood from Kagura disappearing. But the last one I couldn't puzzle out. It felt like the first two, but more. I glanced back up at the others. The ones with demon blood in them nodded at me. They could sense it now too. We were being played for fools.  
  
We discussed our options for getting out of this trap. One: Kill the baka. No baka, no ceremony. But most of us were too kind hearted to do such a thing. I didn't vote. I didn't want his death; all I wanted was for him to go far away from me. Grandpa and Uncle Fluffy were all for killing him. Of course Grandpa got an ear full from Grandma for that. Yusuke was the one who said we couldn't kill him. "He's an idiot, but he shouldn't die because of that." The rest of us agreed. Hiei just told us to kill the source. Kill Naraku and the whole thing is done with. Easier said then done. And or time was quickly becoming less and less as we argued. So, what's the compromise? Can't kill who you can't find. Can't kill someone for being an idiot. Sad, but true. If we could, half the world would be dead. So now what do you do? Pray that you come up with something soon. But we decided to go hunt for Naraku in the mean time. I only hoped that time was on our side this time. It never seems like it ever is.  
  
The walls kept changing from pale grey stone to polished wood paneling. Sometimes it would look nice, but when they sections were too close together, it would turn my stomach. I would have asked Yusuke what the time was, but I knew that if I did, we all would become stress about that. We really didn't need that when going against a particular clever enemy like the one we were about to face. So, keeping a straight face, I marched onward with everyone else.  
  
Time seemed to stretch on for eternity. I was getting really nervous. It was to the point that I was almost thinking that I wish that I hadn't left home to come here. 'But,' I thought amused, 'I wouldn't have had so much fun! And I wouldn't have gotten the chance to stare at Kurama's butt for so long....I am so glad I didn't say that outloud! But he does have a nice butt.........among other things!' I grinned, amused at myself. I could at least keep my mind off the whole 'The world is DOOMED' thing. We spent most of the time opening doors and peering into rooms, trying to find Naraku, but to no avail. We did however find more prisoners locked up in more dungeon type rooms. 'These must be the prisoners that that lady, Boton, mentioned (A/N: Go back to the early chapters) There weren't very many of them.........maybe half a dozen. But there could be more in other areas of the castle. "There'll be time to look for them later" Uncle Sesshomaru told us coldly. I frowned, but I knew he was right. Take out the big bad then pick up the pieces that were left over.  
  
I knew we were running out of time. And if I knew it, so did the others. Yusuke did certainly, after all, he's the one with the watch! But while the rest of us were patient, well, not so much patient, but we didn't have Grandpa's temper, he just started hollering. "NARAKU YOU BASTARD! WHERE THE FU*K ARE YOU!?!?!?" He hollered that for a good five minutes, before we got an answer.  
  
"Well, well.........anxious aren't we Inu-Yasha? Well, patience my nemesis. You only have a few more minutes to wait and then we can all play together once again!" His sinister voice sent shivers up my spine. "GOD DAMN YOU!" Grandpa was shouting. But Naraku didn't reply to that.  
  
We just continued onward. Our group was getting larger, the prisoners that we had found were trailing behind us. None of us wanted them to follow us, but no matter how fast we went, they kept following. Maybe they believed that because we 'saved' them, that by staying with us, we'll get then out of here. Yeah, that is part of the mission, but to do that, we have to first find a way to get them out safely. And to do THAT, we needed to send their kidnapper to oblivion. Oy, it was getting to be a long day.  
  
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That's it for today! Hope you enjoy pe-pole-les!  
  
Bounce bounce nothings gonna keep me down!  
  
Signing out ~ DevilWench~ 


	25. Death of Baka

Chapter 24  
  
There's SNOW out here! WOOT!  
  
Thanks to: Katsurinia and Talaroh for reviewing! ::Hugs::  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned anything this popular, then I would be living in a place that was 80 degrees outside all the time! Since I'm not, then I don't! :P  
  
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It was midnight. I could feel it in the pit of my stomach even before Yusuke quietly told us. A feeling of dread had settled over all of us. What would happen now? Would Naraku just appear? The weight of not knowing was a crushing one. As I looked over everyone, I noticed that I wasn't the only one who was nervous. Some were even scared. But we soon found out what was happening.  
  
The walls started fading around us as Kuwabaka let lose a low laugh. It was disturbing to hear such an evil sounding laugh come from the pervert who was obsessed with kittens. All of a sudden, the baka jumped up and started running away from us. But before any of us could reach him, he had run straight through one of the disappearing walls. Never being one to fail at something, Hiei quickly ran after him, and he too went through the wall. I glanced over to Kurama and he looked just as surprised as I was. Within a split second, all of us were barreling out the incorporeal wall.  
  
Outside was almost an exact copy of the lush forests that were prominent 500 years ago. The trees framed out a circle around all of us. We were on the edge of the circle watching as Kuwabara sauntered up to the two figures in the center of the circle. One was no doubt Naraku. No mistaking that baboon pelt. The other one was HUGE! Almost ear to ear teeth and two long horns protruded from its skull. It gazed at us with a lust to kill in its eyes. I heard Grandpa start growling. The demon smiled, making its horrid face even more horrid. "Inu-Yasha" it breathed. "Fixed your sword? What fun it will be to shatter it once more." "Goshinki........." Naraku demanded quietly. The demon, Goshinki, quieted, though I could still see the insanity spill from its eyes.  
  
"Well, well. Now that we are all here, let us begin." Naraku began chanting in a strange language. I didn't know what it was, but I knew that it would be bad news if he finished. We were just about to launch our attacks, when all the prisoners, minus Dad, who was barely in the clearing at all, began to drag their way up to surround Naraku. Grasping the other prisoners hands they also began to chant. Kuwabara stood facing Naraku, chanting faintly.  
  
Goshinki was not part of the circle. He was the body guard against us. "Be careful!" Grandma Kagome was shouting above the chanting. "He can read minds!" My eyes widened. 'Not good!' I thought! Goshinki grinned maliciously. "Of course it's not good. It's not supposed to be a good thing!" I glared at him. My stilettos would be of no help here. I could not even use my bow. Grandma Kagome had it since it was the only weapon that she could use properly. So, I went after Naraku and left those who could perform long range attacks, or attack with great speed to deal with the mental Goshinki.  
  
The sky was steadily darkening as Narakus ritual continued. Trees seemed to twist and melt into the shadows, intent on terrifying any passer-bys. A light violet glow was shimmering around the former prisoners, and a much brighter light was coming from Naraku and Kuwabaka. Myself, along with Sango, Miroku, and Mom, were the ones that went after Naraku. Miroku slammed into the first of the former prisoners, knocking him from the hand holding circle. With a simple blow to his midsection, the unknown prisoner was down. He was alive, but he wouldn't be getting up any time soon. Both Sango and myself, having only sharp blades, used our fists to knock out the rest of the former prisoners. Once they were clear, we converged on Naraku and Kuwabaka. The light violet glow had faded, but the one surrounding the two left standing grew steadily brighter. It was almost brighter than our eyes could take. But Naraku had to be stopped. I ran full tilt into the idiot who shouldn't die because he's really really stupid. As I knocked him away, the violent violet light dissipated.  
  
I glanced at Naraku. I wanted to see if he was angry under that baboon pelt, but it did cover his face very well. To my surprise, all he did was stagger around a little. That is, until Miroku opened up his wind tunnel and sucked him into it. I smirked. Bye Bye Naraku.  
  
"But my dear," A soft sinister voice fell into my ears, "You have played right into my hands!" I looked over at the idiot. He was smirking. He didn't look idiotic anymore, just insane. He was smirking widely. I was confused as we all watched as the baka stood up and looked at his hands. "Ah! How good it feels to be alive once more" he chuckled. I could feel my eyes expanding to the size of saucers. 'He must have switched bodies with the baka!' The body of said baka leered at me. "Not to bright are we my dear?" I glared at him. The rest of the group, approaching us from their battle with Goshinki, saw that the body of Naraku was gone. Smiles brightened some faces, but others, the ones who wanted a good fight, just scowled. But those smile turned upside down as Naraku, in the body of Kuwabara laughed sinisterly. "Kuwabara?" I heard Yusuke ask. Naraku sneered. "That pathetic, simpering idiot is gone forever." I saw, as well as felt Yusuke's rage build. Kurama and Hiei even looked very pissed. I had never seen Kurama look anything other than worried or calm. To see him angry, pissed my off. Seeing me pissed, set almost everyone else off. Miroku was the only one not pissed. He had a look of absolute horror across his face. I felt sorry for him. To think he was pulling a foe into certain oblivion only to find out that it was the person you were supposed to be saving in instead has got to be terrible. Seeing all of us pissed off, or horrified, set Naraku to laughing. "Struck a nerve have I? Most excellent!" he chimed. "And now that I have a living body, I can do more than manipulate things. How about I show you an example?"  
  
The fight with Naraku began then. The best of the living and the dead versus the absolute abomination of the darkest recess of hell. It was one hell of a month.  
  
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That's it today! Next time: The conclusion to the great battle! I would have put it all together, but I do so LOVE cliffies! Pluss that would mean more typing right now..........and I'm trying to boot my mom off the internet so I can upload this chappie. The next one will be forthcoming.........when I find the muse who insists on getting herself lost! Remember: No reviews=no new chapter! So do a little work, and get a big present! Ta for now!  
  
Signing out ~ DevilWench ~ 


	26. Beat Down

Chapter 25  
  
WOOT! Much Butt Kickin in this chappie!!  
  
Thanks to:  
  
teenager14  
Katsurinia  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing  
  
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It was one hell of a month for sure. From peaceful forests, to the pits of hell. Healing to killing. Calmness to absolute fury. My life has been flipped upside down. Naraku, in the body of Kuwabara, was laughing manically. Dark puppets that he had called forth surrounded him like body guards. I heard Sango curse softly for her Boomerang Bone. (A/N: I know there's another name, I would like to use it, but I don't have it, so therefore, can't use it. ::Sighs:: Such is life.........) Naraku just laughed at us. "Do you even have a hope of defeating me?" he inquired as he sent forth his mini army of dark puppets. There were 22 of them. Four guarding his back. One on each side, three directly in front of him, and the last ones were ranged out in front of the front three.  
  
We were ranged out in the front side of Naraku, and sort of on the side. Hiei was the closest to Naraku's side. Uncle Sesshomaru remained in the back, stoically standing next to the dead body of Goshinki. Grandma Kagome was standing far enough behind us to be protected as well as close enough to use her/my bow properly. The rest of us were ranged totally in front of the monster. Starting from 5 o'clock and going to 7:30 it was Mom, Miroku, Sango, Myself, Kurama, Grandpa Inu-Yasha, and then Yusuke.  
  
We stood in stalemate for what seemed like eternity. Neither side moved, or breathed it seemed. Then, all hell broke loose. Pun intended. Thirteen of the puppets rushed us. We responded by meeting the forward charge with one of our own. Both sides crashed into each other it seemed. We were outnumbered, but not out powered. I could not see how the others were faring, having to keep my own tail in one piece first. The puppet I was fighting flowed through my attacks like water. When I went to stab the creature, a whole appeared in the exact area I had been aiming for. We 'danced' for who knew how long. I did manage to rip gashes into it's earthen hide, and it managed to score some blunt hits on me. Nothing sharp. But it still felt like I had been hit in the side by a steel pole wielded by Hercules. I knew I was going to be bruised in a bad way come morning. If morning came at all. I took a quick glance around when I had parried past the puppet, to see if anyone was down. Everyone seemed to be fine. There were a few of the puppets missing already.  
  
The lapse in concentration to check on the others was all the puppet needed to wrap an arm around my throat. 'Ouch!' It was bringing me closer to what seemed to be a mouth. 'It's going to EAT me!' I thought in horror. 'Like HELL it is!' I added to the previous thought. I gripped my stilettos more firmly, while also turning one in my hand for better stabbing. The closer I got to the maw, the easier chance I had to destroy the central nexus that controlled this puppet. At almost the last half a moment, I plunged my weapon forward, into the blobby mass. I felt it connect with something solid. The puppet gave a shriek and poofed in to a pile of dirt. The arm it had on my throat disappeared as well, to my relief. Glad to breathe air again, I turned to lend a hand to the others. Miroku was the closest. The puppet he was dealing with had its' back to me. An easy target. Tightening my grip, I half lunged, half jumped at the monstrosity. I sunk my blade into the center. I felt it shudder and collapse. I landed in the pile of dirt that it had made with its death. Miroku grinned at me as we scanned the area to see if anyone else needed help. The rest of the puppets had joined the fight, leaving Naraku unprotected. 'But not invulnerable' I thought angrily.  
  
I could see the rest of them fighting as I was at the far edge of the fighting. Mom had finished off her puppet and had whirled around to help Sango, who wasn't faring as well against hers. Grandpa Inu-Yasha had moved further back to protect Grandma Kagome from any puppets that got to near. Grandma Kagome was aiming her arrows at Naraku himself in hopes, I guessed of stopping all the puppets at once. But her arrows were being reflected off by a barrier of some sort. Uncle Sesshomaru and Yusuke were happily punching away at the puppets. How do I know Uncle Sesshomaru was HAPPILY punching away? Simple. He was smirking. Kurama, wonderful Kurama, had gone to help Hiei to deal with a knot of the puppets. I would have ran over to do more damage to the earthen puppets, but they decided to come to me. Two of them rushed me. Since Miroku was nearby, the two of us switched back and forth between the two puppets. When he was fighting for his life.........or death.........he wasn't such a pervert. Not once did my behind get a rub.  
  
Mom and Sango's puppet was the last one to fall. I glanced at Naraku. He merely raised one stupid ugly orange eyebrow. "Not bad" he commented. "But can you handle THIS?" he questioned. Five dark inky blots broke off from him and made a semi circle around him. His five children, the ones we already defeated in his castle, rose out of the dark depths. Kagura, Goshinki, and the small ugly twin started laughing at us. Some one must have been gaping, because Naraku handed out an explanation. Yippie......... "Now Now! If you kill some one in Hell, where do they go?" I grimaced. "You can't kill someone who is already dead. IT just might take a little bit of time for them to get back to me. That is all." I could have screamed in frustration. 'How the bloody HELL DO you get rid of them???' Goshinki grinned horribly at me. "You don't!" I started shaking in anger. Killing them was going to get us nowhere. So, the next best thing to do? Knock them out. Goshinki laughed, as evil a sound as Naraku made. "Just try and get at us. We promise we won't even move till you come and try to 'Knock us out'." I would have run straight at him my blood was boiling so much. But Yusuke beat me to that. And I was very glad that he did. Well. Sort of. He got zapped by that strange barrier that deflected Grandma Kagome's arrows. He went flying.  
  
We stood, gaping at the display of power before us. Beyond the barrier, I saw Kagura smirk and lay a hand on Kanna. Kanna was responsible for deflection barrier. She and her 'be damned' mirror. But could she be keeping up a barrier totally around them. I was willing to bet my life that she wasn't. And I might have to pay up. I glance around to see if any of my friends were looking. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Hiei was looking. I jerked my head to the back of the clearing. Where Naraku had his back turned. He nodded to me as we both made our way around the group of miscreants. Even if Goshinki could read our minds, there wasn't really anything he could do to stop us, as most of the others had caught on to my little 'break the barrier' idea.  
  
"Well played!" Naraku cooed. "Kanna!" He barked. In a flash the barrier was down. We had only halfway surrounded Naraku and his children by the time the barrier fell. The onslaught of the powerful Demons was like the stench of garbage left out to rot in midday of mid summer. I wrinkled my nose in disgust.  
  
All Naraku's children came rushing at us. The one we had to watch out for was Kanna and her mirror. She could easily steal our souls while we were busy fighting with the others. I joined Mom and Grandma Kagome to deal with her. We three surrounded her not 30 feet from Naraku. Yet he did nothing. Maybe he was just wearing us down so it would be easer for him to kill us off later. I mean, he did spend his underlings lives life they were sand slipping through his fingers. Mom was on the side opposite of me, with Grandma and her bow in front of the small child like demon. Grandma let fly an arrow that struck her mirror, it cracked even as Kanna raised it to save herself. Her dismay at her weapons ineffectiveness let both Mom and me slip in on the sides and slash at her. We did not kill her, as she would only come back again, but we did injure her enough so that she would not be able to get up and walk let alone try and kill us again for months. I felt sorry for the child like demon. She looked very much like a broken doll lying there dripping blood on the ground. But we did not have time for pity.  
  
Glancing around at the other fights, I saw that Hiei was battling the smaller, faster twin to Naraku's left side. He was doing well against it, so I glanced around further. Farther back and in between my last fight and Hiei's current fight, Grandpa Inu-Yasha, Sango, and Miroku were battling it out with Goshinki. The looks in their eyes told me not to interfere or else. To their right, Uncle Sesshomaru and my Kurama were whipping Kagura to pieces. The wind sorceress was close to becoming incapacitated. Lastly, to Naraku's right side, Yusuke was pummeling the larger and slower of the twin demons. It was already in a crumpled heap. We were really kicking butt right now. But it remained to be seen what Naraku would send at us next.  
  
Glancing at his face, a flicker of worry flittered across his new face. But it was gone just as fast as it had come. Instead, as the last of his children lay in a broken heap, all of them still 'alive' per say, he growled at us and tried to run. I saw a pink barrier close in around all of us. A glance over to my grandmother showed that it had been both her and my mother who had raised the powerful barrier. No one was going to escape. Not until Naraku was dead, or all of us were dead.  
  
Howling in frustration, Naraku turned on us. Dark miasma (A/N: Did I spell that right?) swirled around him, reaching farther and farther out.  
  
Those who had long range attacks used them to slice openings into the cloud of poisons being created by Naraku. Those with out those long range weapons would run into those openings made by those who do. But, the miasma was very thick. Miroku and Sango only got a few feet inside the dark cloud before I saw them flee, pain etched in thick burrows on their faces. Grandma Kagome was cutting through the poisonous fumes with her arrows with no problem. But even with the opening, Grandpa Inu-Yasha barely got close enough. And even if he DID get close enough, he still had to deal with Naraku himself. Yusuke and Kurama, I could see, were having a difficult time fighting with Naraku, since he was wearing the body of their fallen friend. I could kind of sympathize. Hiei, on the other hand, was having no problems trying to get at Naraku. But he wasn't having much luck either. There had to be a way to get to him. No one was invincible.  
  
I stared as another of my grandmothers arrows cut through the miasma. Miko power sliced through that stuff like it was nothing more than warm butter. If this held true, then if I used some miko power in my hands, and kept them held in front of me, then I should be able to march right into the miasma. It was worth a shot. No one else was having any luck. And we were being pushed back to the edge of the trees. Almost the entire clearing was covered in his poison. With five feet between all of us the edge, I figured, 'What the hell. It's better then standing here.'  
  
I braced myself just outside the miasma and called my power to my hands. Faintly, they began to glow pink. As I extended one hand, I began to tremble. 'Would this work? Will I get burned? How long will my power hold out for? What do I do when I reach the bastard? What if he knows I'm coming and has an attack ready for me?' The questions ran through my mind at an abnormal rate. I knew I was afraid. Turning, I gave my family and friends one last glance. They were desperate; being pushed into the trees. Grandma Kagome couldn't do this. She doesn't know how to fight hand to hand combat. Mom does, but she doesn't have much in the way of miko powers. I gave them all what I hoped would not be my last smile and pushed my way into the miasma.  
  
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That's it for today. This was longer than any of my other chapters.........If ya want to know what happens next; then you have to review! I won't post the next one till I get at least 3! That's not much to ask for!  
  
Signing Out ~DevilWench~ 


	27. Goodbye

Chapter 26  
  
Well....it's all coming to a close now. Note: I suck at romance so there's only hints in this story!  
  
Disclaimer: I own my brain and Alex. And that's all! GO AWAY!  
  
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Last Time:  
  
I braced myself just outside the miasma and called my power to my hands. Faintly, they began to glow pink. As I extended one hand, I began to tremble. 'Would this work? Will I get burned? How long will my power hold out for? What do I do when I reach the bastard? What if he knows I'm coming and has an attack ready for me?' The questions ran through my mind at an abnormal rate. I knew I was afraid. Turning, I gave my family and friends one last glance. They were desperate; being pushed into the trees. Grandma Kagome couldn't do this. She doesn't know how to fight hand to hand combat. Mom does, but she doesn't have much in the way of miko powers. I gave them all what I hoped would not be my last smile and pushed my way into the miasma.  
  
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Continuation:  
  
Pushing my way through the miasma was like pushing my through partially set white glue. My legs were screaming with the effort. I could breath, but just barely. I couldn't hear anything either. Not the shouts of my family or friends, not Naraku's evil laughter.  
  
I knew I was getting closer to Naraku when the miasma started to thin out slightly. And with almost an audible 'Pop' I was threw and in the center of the miasma with Naraku in his Kuwabara skin. Evil laughter really did not suit the kitten loving baka. Neither did glaring, as that was what he was doing the second he saw me. Snarling, he sent a blast of his infamous miasma towards me. I held up my still pink glowing hands, and the poisonous fumes dissipated. I could see his eyes bleed to red as I was purifying his powerful attack. I watched on, nervously as he drew upon Kuwabaka's 'Spirit Sword', and I prayed that my own weapons would be able to hold out against his sword as I held my own weapons out. Both of us rushed the other at the same time. Sparks flew as our weapons rang out against the other. It would have been so easy to just reach out and touch him, to purify him. But the strength of the pressure that he applied against me made it so that if I had done that, I would have been overpowered, and more than likely, killed. So, tempting as it was, I just held up against him. Pushing off from him, I eyed him warily. This was not going to be easy. Any flaw that I could find would be of the greatest help.  
  
That flaw came as his surprise when my grandmother's arrows streaked past, right under his nose. Darting in, I channeled all my miko power in to my stiletto. I felt the pressure as my blade slid into his chest, scraping past bone. The miko power flared inside him, making him scream in agony. The force of the conflicting powers made me stagger backwards. Pink light pulsed out of his screaming mouth, the miasma dissipating rapidly, until it had all disappeared. I took no notice of the others, I was to entranced on what was happening to the bastard who kidnapped me Dad and who had either tortured him personally, or had him tortured. With one last flare, Naraku crumpled into ash. I wish it could have ended differently. That the baka could have reclaimed his body, but his spirit was lost in Miroku's wind tunnel. This had been a costly fight. Even the prisoners we were supposed to free were gone. It was if they never existed. The only thing that we did manage to accomplish was saving my Dad, and erasing Naraku for eternity. Some consolation prize huh.  
  
I stood, blearily in a daze while friends and family surrounded me and offered congratulations and praise, and some rants on my own stupidity. Numbly I nodded at all of them, not really hearing what they were saying. I think I was in shock or something. When Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, Sango, and Miroku were saying their good byes, my eyes widened in even more shock. 'They were leaving? But why?' I then remembered that they were already dead. They had to go back where they belonged. I hugged them all in turn. Grandpa told me not to lose in a fight and to be careful. Grandma told me how happy she was go get to know me, even in such a short time. And that she thought that Kurama and I looked cute together. I blushed scarlet when she non-chalantly mentioned that. Sango told me to be strong, while she smacked Miroku who had rubbed her rear end. Miroku, with his new red hand print, smiled at me and told me that I should just listen to my heart. It was the best thing he had ever done. He then gazed over a Sango who was still glaring at him. Mom was the last to say good-bye. She had already said her good byes to Dad, and yelled at him for drinking so much and allowing himself to become so slovenly. She hugged me and told me that no matter what I decided to do in my life, that she was proud of me. I hugged her tightly back as she was saying this. As they were fading from view I waved to them one last time, and they in turn smiled back to me.  
  
Getting home was a lot easier than getting to Naraku. Yusuke called on Boton to come get us. It seemed that she could not get down to where we needed to go at first because with Naraku there, there had been a barrier in place against such an intrusion. But since he was dead, and we were there, she now could go there. When she was told of Kuwabara's death, she only nodded grimly. As the grim reaper, it had been her duty to guide the dead to be judged. Opening a portal, she led us to Koenma's office. The spirit detectives entered the door while the rest of us waited for Boton to return, as she had just opened another portal to Uncle Sesshomaru's home. Dad and I just sat quietly. Neither one of wanted to talk just yet. Boton's return was just as quick as her departure. As she was taking Dad home, I whispered to him that I would see him next week, and that we would talk then.  
  
After Boton had taken me home, I gazed at the shrine where I lived. It still looked the same, still peaceful. It felt good to be home. But it felt a little bit lonely. It was very quiet as I entered my home. Changing back to my miko robes, I lit the fire and gazed into its depths and tried to lose myself in its dancing flames. It seemed to have taken a long time from the start of the mission to when I returned home. But it had only been two days shy of a month. Tomorrow was the full moon. Tomorrow I would be human for the night. When I tore my gaze from the fire, I stumbled towards my room and fell onto my bed, asleep.  
  
Morning light shone on my face, waking me from my memories. Bathing and dressing for the day, I glanced out one of the windows. It was a glorious day. The sky was a faultless blue, and the forest was alive with sound. The clearing where I first saw the spirit detectives was nothing more than a clearing now. The demon they fought there, nothing more than a passing memory. I would miss them. Even Hiei. I liked arguing with him. But more than that, I would miss Kurama. It was fun having another part Kitsune around. Not to mention I was half in love with him. Sighing, I took my customary place in front of the fire to meditate for the day.  
  
I was awoken from my trance by a soft knock on the door of the shrine. Wondering who would knock in a place that was open to all, I stepped over to the doorway. Opening it, the first thing I saw was red. A red rose, and red hair. Then I noticed green eyes. As green as my own. And then a familiar purple outfit. "Would you care to accompany me to dinner tomorrow?" Launching myself to hug him, I whispered 'Yes' just loud enough for him to hear me. A hug to start, a kiss to finish.  
  
Fin  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
And here ends this story.  
  
My many heart felt thanks to all who reviewed. You are the ones who kept me writing this story when I was about to toss it in the garbage.  
  
Reviewers for:  
  
Chapter 1:  
  
noname  
Yalina  
Melony : Mel Mel! I LOVE YOU! I MISS YOU!  
Sailor Kagome  
Swlilbabigrl  
  
Chapter 2:  
  
NO ONE REVIEWED THIS CHAPTER!  
  
Chapter 3:  
  
Hogwarts, A History Girl  
Melancholy-Girl  
Meikyuu Kanashimi  
  
Chapter 4:  
  
Hogwarts, A History Girl  
Sailor Knight Shadowstar  
SurfAngel  
  
Chapter 5:  
  
Kasia Matsubishi  
Hogwarts, A History Girl  
  
Chapter 6:  
  
Cheyo-Vera  
  
Chapter 7:  
  
Cheyo-Vera  
Zoned Out Day Dreamer  
  
Chapter 8:  
  
Cheyo-Vera  
  
Chapter 9:  
  
Cheyo-Vera  
Kasia Matsubishi  
  
Chapter 10:  
  
Cheyo-Vera  
Zoned Out Day Dreamer  
Morlana  
Nykimstar  
  
Chapter 11:  
  
Cheyo-Vera  
Zoned Out Day Dreamer  
  
Chapter 12, 13, 14, 15, & 16  
  
Cheyo Vera  
  
Chapter 17:  
  
Cheyo Vera  
Simply Hopeless  
ElveNDestiNy  
  
Chapter 18:  
  
Cheyo-Vera  
  
Chapter 19:  
  
Cheyo-Vera  
CMD  
Harmony  
  
Chapter 20:  
  
Sahar369  
Starkitty  
Inu-Ice-Dragon  
  
Chapter 21:  
  
Cheyo-Vera  
bartor530  
Bob no Saru  
BOmhammer  
  
Chapter 22:  
  
Cheyo-Vera  
Bamachik420  
Charroum (How did you manage to review this chappie twice!)  
Sticksouttounge  
  
Chapter 23:  
  
arata_priestess  
Sumi Toshi  
Cheyo-Vera  
Charroum  
  
Chapter 24:  
  
Talaroh  
Katsurinia  
  
Chapter 25:  
  
teenager14  
Cheyo-Vera  
Katsurina  
  
Chapter 26:  
  
Cheyo-Vera  
Katsurina  
Koranu  
  
I hope you all enjoyed this, and thank you for being patient as I wrote this. A lot of things happened as I was writing this. Two deaths in the family, the death of a family friend, and me moving states away and losing all my friends. But! I still manage to find all the silver linings! Life goes on and so did this fic! Hasta to all you wonderful people! And thank you to my most frequent reviewer! YAY Cheyo-Vera! ::Hugs:: You're the best!  
  
Signing out ~DevilWench~ 


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